


Linked

by Jezzycat202



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: I am such a noob at this sdfga, Multi, This primarily bases around four of my ocs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-21 13:48:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 62,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11358756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jezzycat202/pseuds/Jezzycat202
Summary: The Lotus Eaters are a menace.They lure people into their casino and keep them there for as long as humanly possible. It's almost a sick hobby and one demigod is out to help.Tired of being underrated and pushed around, Clovis Atwood takes it upon his shoulders to rescue lost demigods from the Lotus Casino and return them safely to the camps.Though he keeps it a secret from most, he does his job well. He's always managed to get them home safely. Roman, Greeks, all of them. Yet he's never tried anything so risky as to take home more than one at the same time.When four very curious demigods are found in the casino, it seems they may have more to them than it looks. When Clovis rescues them, has he taken one risk too many?





	1. Clovis Crashes a Demigod Bash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clovis returns to the Lotus Casino for another midnight mission.

Clovis

Come on... Where are you hiding?...

Music pulsed loudly through the air, making the son of Hypnos' ears roar. Of course, that could have just been the roar of the crowded casino-goers, gambling their money carelessly and dancing on tables. The shuffling of cards mingled with the sound of shifting slot games. Cheers rung out near a set of booths as a tall, dark-skinned man ran a game of roulette.

Cheers rung out near a set of booths as a tall, dark-skinned man ran a game of roulette  
It was all a little overpowering for the son of Hypnos. The boy barely left his bed at home and rarely went to parties. 

Well, to go to a party, one had to be invited first. 

Clovis rolled his eyes, attempting to focus on what was going on around him instead of his own social anxiety.

He had to find the target before things got too out of hand.

For months now, Clovis had been dream-travelling to the Lotus Casino and rescuing stray demigods who had lost their way. There had been cases where demigods such as Nico Di Angelo and his sister Bianca had been stuck in the casino for years upon years. It was awful to think that the lotus-eaters could do such things without feeling any guilt

He'd rescued a total of ten demigods in all. He visited the casino once every week and if he sensed a demigod, he'd lead them safely out of the casino and to the camp via dreams. People at camp had been questioning why so many of them were appearing, seemingly without help at the border without a clue of how they got there.

Another perk of being a son of Hypnos.

Memory alteration.

It was hard to see in the casino through the thick black sunglasses that were perched on his nose. Clovis had been spotted before on one of his first quests here and now he'd picked up that he was most likely on the 'Lotus Eaters Most Wanted'. He could never be too careful anymore. Disguises were a must.

This time, he was wearing a Hawaiian floral print shirt, some Bermuda shorts, a straw hat, and his sunglasses. He must have looked like a lost and very unstylish tourist in Los Vegas. He was half expecting some grubby street thug to grab him by the shoulders and direct him to some brochures. 

Clovis jumped as he felt a hand on the small of his back. He spun around on his heel and came face to face with a girl nearly exactly his height, maybe even slightly taller. She had rusty, red hair that was buzzed short on one side, but allowed to grow out on the other. Her eyes were a cloudy hazel, not exactly focused on his face, but more of looking through him. Smile lines were indented on her cheeks, and a large spat of freckles donned her face. 

The girl reminded Clovis faintly of his friend back at Camp. Her name was Lou Ellen. She styled her hair in a similar way, but hers was dyed a different color nearly every month. At the moment, it was an emerald green which almost matched her intense eyes. She was the only other person that knew about his weekly missions. 

Clovis blinked once to focus himself on the task at hand. It was hard to do as the girl's hands were slipping down from his back and trailing to his back pocket. 

Either this girl was highly intoxicated and trying to get laid, or she was trying to rob him blind and failing hopelessly. 

"U-Uh, excuse me, ma'am. Could you get off of me, p-please?"

The girl tilted her head, a smirk crawling cockily up the side of her face. She blew a puff of air at her low-hanging hair before stepping forward, her chest pressed against Clovis's front.

Heat flashed across Clovis's face, and he attempted to back away. Unfortunately, the girl was leaning heavily on him. She started slipping towards the floor haphazardly, and Clovis only just caught her in his arms before she hit the linoleum. She giggled as if this was the most hilarious thing in her life as one arm trailed limply to the floor.

"Lady, you are not making this easy..." Clovis grunted, straining to stand the tipsy lady on her own two feet once more. Gradually, the girl's wobbly legs set to work at holding her body up, and she swayed from side to side unsteadily before grabbing Clovis's shoulders for support.

Clovis sighed, using his free hand to wipe the sweat off his brow. What he wouldn't give to be dreaming about his nice, warm bed instead of this wack-job casino. But he had a job to do. 

"Aha ha, what is in those flower things? I feel like I'm spinning!" 

Clovis's ocean blue eyes rolled as the girl's head bobbed precariously. It might have been an attempt to keep the beat of the music, but it was off by about three slow counts and then some. She looked more like she was giving herself whiplash very, very slowly. 

"A wise man once said 'Don't eat strange, pink, lotus cakes from strangers,' you know."

The girl blinked incredulously like she couldn't understand what Clovis had just said."Oh yeah?" She belched in her mouth and nearly puked on the blue crocs she was currently wearing. "Who was the wise man?"

"Me," Clovis grinned sarcastically, his head turning rapidly as he tried to scope out the demigod he'd sensed before. Curiously, the presence of said demigod felt stronger than ever, yet far away at the same time. He couldn't pinpoint exactly where the lost traveler was.

Suddenly, he got a sinking feeling in his gut.

He turned to face the red-headed demigod reluctantly. "Uh, hey...you..."

"Miles."

"Miles. Do you know both of your parents?"

"Neither of them. I live with my aunt, ha ha ha." She snorted before nearly choking on her spit. "Dad ran off when I was a baby, and Mom disappeared after I was born."

Clovis swallowed his spit.

Great...

"Have you noticed anything strange about yourself? Like, I don't know...maybe powers? A randomly shape-shifting weapon? A big 'ole glowing symbol in front of your face lately?"

Miles opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a blinding purple light and a small popping noise.

When Clovis dared to open his eyes again, a purple torch was floating in front of Miles. She blinked slowly and pointed towards it, giving Clovis a half asleep, half inquisitive look.

"You mean like this? This is new."

I guess Lou Ellen's got a new annoying sister. 

Clovis threw his head back and let out a strangled groan. He fumbled for Miles' hand, interlocking his fingers through hers. He'd found his demigod, so why did it feel like there was still more to this quest? There was a strong sense of demigod presence in front of him, near the bar, on the dance floor, and...on the ceiling? 

Maybe the tracking spell Lou Ellen had casted on him was wonky. But, it had always worked before...

"Let's get you out of here, alright?"

Miles looked mildly disappointed, scuffing one of her crocs on the floor. "We haven't even had our first date and you're already taking me home with you? Can't we dance first?" 

Clovis's ears reddened which always happened when he was embarrassed. He hoped that Miles was too oblivious to notice. "W-What, no-I'm not-"

Clovis broke off as a flash of red light near the dance floor caught his attention. 

A small, scrawny boy stopped dancing and scratched his head in confusion, swatting at the scarlet boar's head in front of him. When the form refused to waver, he let out a wail and ran across the dance floor like a chicken with its head chopped off. 

"Two of you?!" Clovis exclaimed, pulling at his messy blonde hair exasperatedly. "I've gotta get over there before they see him running wild like that! Stay put, Miles. Don't move."

Miles crossed her arms like a child and stomped her crocced foot. "Not until you dance with me, Mystery Dude."

Clovis could think of about fifty different things he'd rather be doing than dancing with Miles, but he bit his tongue and wrapped his hands around Miles' waist. Instinctively, her hands slid up to his shoulders and they began stepping and swaying side to side to the very distorted beat of the music the DJ was blasting. Slowly, Clovis led Miles to the boy who was screaming in a corner near the bathroom, rocking back and forth on his knees.

Miles eyes were brighter now and her mouth was open in a small 'O' shape. Clovis could actually distinguish that she was looking at him now. 

"Mister, you are the dreamiest guy I've ever met..."

Clovis rolled his eyes, wondering if his face could get any redder. "You have no idea..."

The duo waltzed closer to the boy who looked up at them with wide eyes. He pointed at the dimming boar's head fearfully as if he felt like this strange boy and tipsy girl could somehow explain why there was a wild pig with angry red glow floating in front of his face.

"I know, I know. Let's just get going," Clovis twirled Miles once before letting go of her waist and taking one of her hands instead. His free hand took the shivering boy's and he led them to the exit of the casino.

The shimmering blue dream portal was beginning to form as it usually did when Clovis approached. It was like a small dog who waited for its owner to come home from work, except this dog didn't smother you in slobbery kisses.

Clovis nodded his head at the portal. "Come on, follow me though this and you'll be safe."

The two demigods shrugged. It seemed like they'd seen enough that night to trust a Hawaiian tourist with red ears and a glowing blue portal.

Just as the trio began to step into the portal there was a familiar pop to the right of them and Clovis turned in time to see an ebony haired girl fall off a bar table, followed by a small flickering rainbow.

"You've got to be kidding me!"Clovis turned his tired eyes to the two demigods who shifted uncomfortably as they waited for him to lead them through the portal. Miles still had a dreamy look on her face while the boy twitched nervously, looking around as if the boar would return.

"She fell." Miles stated, motioning towards the disoriented girl on the floor.

"No kidding. I need you two to stay right here for me. Don't eat any more of those lotus flowers, and no more dancing," Clovis turned a pointed glare on Miles. "Got it?"

The two nodded obediently, locking hands and giving Clovis dopey smiles. For the umpteenth time, Clovis rolled his eyes and started toward the unconscious girl on the floor. Her black hair was splayed about her head and her ankle was twisted under her sharply.

That didn't look good.

"Hey 'free fall', you alright?" Clovis asked, holding out a hand for the Asian teenager.

The girl didn't respond and for a sickening moment, the Hypnos counselor thought she'd snapped her neck too. Suddenly, the girl let out a whimper and her chest rose and fell. Clovis breathed a sigh of relief.

"Com'ere" he stated, gently hoisting the limp girl over his shoulder. She was wearing a blue skirt, so Clovis awkwardly placed his arm to cover anything that could be peeking out. For this girl's sake, he hoped she was wearing underwear.

He turned his head back to where his two 'friends' were supposed to be and blinked gratefully as Miles waved giddily at him from near the exit. Her arm was around the boy who appeared to have calmed down a great deal.

Carefully, Clovis began walking to the exit, trying not to let the girl drop, or be exposed to the public. He was almost there when there was the sound of yelling above him. It sounded like there was a bar fight going on upstairs. That was strange considering the gamblers usually weren't violent.

Unless...

"Gods, what did I do to deserve this?!" With a growl, Clovis made a 'stay put' gesture at the two demigods in waiting and turned towards the stairs. Mentally he questioned why such a up-town establishment like the Lotus casino didn't have an elevator somewhere, but dismissed the thought as a piercing shriek erupted from above him.

As fast as he could, Clovis hopped up the stairs. It was hard to do with a limp table dancer flopped over his shoulder, but he managed, reaching the VIP section of the upstairs. A buff guy was playing what looked like Candy Crush on his phone and paid no attention to Clovis as he maneuvered around the red rope barrier. The man reminded him slightly of Butch from the Iris cabin at Camp.

Once past the rope, Clovis searched the crowd for a glowing emblem of any sort. A scythe for Demeter, a scale for Nemesis, a clover for Tyche, anything. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long.

An African-American girl with frizzy black hair and big brown eyes was pinned against a wall by a tall man with salt and pepper hair. He was wearing a stained tuxedo and a bent top hat, and the look in his eyes was not friendly. A pale pink dove emblem shone proudly above the struggling girl's head.

"Hey! Let go of her!" Clovis shouted, stumbling over a few passersby as he pushed his way through a crowd of disoriented men and women. The man loosened his grip on the girl's wrists, but did not drop her. He stared at Clovis cockily, reminding the son of Hypnos of the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland.He never liked that cat.

"Lay off kid, you've already got a girl. Mind your own business, will ya?"

Clovis snarled. He hated people like this; absolute pigs.

He wasn't supposed to use his powers in the Casino for it could alert the Lotus Eaters that he was here, but he didn't care.

"Nighty night, pervert." He said, his voice low with dark power.

The man toppled over at once, and the girl just barely caught her balance on the floor. Her ballet flats hit the linoleum and she looked up at Clovis questioningly. The girl looked like she'd just stepped out of a prissy private school for girls. She was decked out in a pastel yellow dress with a pretty purple peacoat buttoned over the front. A red bow was tied in her hair which seemed as if it had been dyed at one time. Her curly, shoulder length hair's tips were a faded pink like the girl had regretted getting them done as soon as it happened and tried to scrub it out. A thick pair of black glass framed her her mocha colored eyes. She looked to be about five years younger than him if not more.

"Are you alright? He didn't hurt you?"

The girl nodded shyly, looking uncomfortable.

Clovis shook his head, hearing the approaching footsteps of his enemies coming closer. He could see two Lotus Eaters across the floor, both female and holding trays of flower-like tarts. They did not look happy.

"Listen kid, come with me. Now. I'll get you out of here, I swear on the River Styx," Clovis felt his heart sink as soon as the words left his mouth and knew his promise had been heard. Now, if he couldn't get this girl out safely, he would be sent to the Fields of Punishment for sure. Things were not looking good.

The girl hesitated giving him an odd look. Clovis dismissed the feeling of dread in his gut and turned tail. Hoping the girl was following him, the son of Hypnos pushed people out of the way and dove over the rope. The bouncer looked up from his game in surprise, but was not quick enough to grab Clovis. He was in fight or flight mode, and all his senses were saying "RUN, YOU IDIOT!"

Clovis turned as he reached the stairs once more, feeling the short girl's hot breath at his heels. Clovis gave her a look as she heaved for breath. The Lotus Eaters were at the rope now, hurling lotus tarts at him. It might have been funny if they weren't out to kill him.

"The railing!" Clovis huffed before throwing one leg over the banister and praying for a safe ride. His straw hat blew off halfway down and he winced as his tousled blonde hair was shone. It was hard to balance the Asian girl on his shoulder and keep his balance on the railing, but he managed to do so, skidding to a halt near the end to avoid smashing his groin on one of the small bulb looking handles on the banister. He blew a breath of relief for his protected private parts and moved out of the way as the dark-skinned girl hopped off after him.

She pointed frantically at the top of the stairs where the Lotus Eaters were in a confused tussle with the bouncer. They were distracted for the time being but it would not last. With Clovis's luck, they'd probably already sent for reinforcements.

"Come on!" He commanded, racing through the crowd towards the exit.He could see the small boy waving at him anxiously near the now fading dream barrier. With an awful suddenness, Clovis was hit with a huge wave of exhaustion and realization; the longer he stayed here, the weaker he got.

And Miles was missing.

"This night just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?!" Clovis exclaimed loudly, earning a confused look from the girl beside him.

The two reached the portal and Clovis looked around wildly. "Where's Miles?! I told you guys to stay put!"

The boy looked up sheepishly, pointing at a table nearby. A ball was rolling around a wheel as two guys and Miles cheered excitedly.

"Are you kidding me?!" Clovis took a deep breath, cracking his fingers angrily. "I'll be right back."

Clovis growled, shooting over to the gambling session. Miles let out a whoop, throwing her arms up joyously as the ball stopped.

"I win! Gimme all that! Mmhm!"

Miles slammed her hands on the pile of money, watches, and jewels in the center of the table and dragged it towards her as a few gamblers complained that she wasn't even old enough to play.

Clovis reached Miles, looking pleadingly into her hazel eyes that were clouded once more. She grinned crazily at him. Her breath smelled of grape juice and pickles, a horrible combination that almost made Clovis want to leave her there. 

"Miles, we have to go! Now! Come on!" Clovis tugged on one of Miles hands and nearly lost his grip on the girl on his shoulder. She dropped a bit, clunking her head on the table nearby. She groaned and Clovis grimaced guiltily.

"Seriously?! Dude, I like you but I like money more. Go away. I don't want to leave."

A screech rose near the bar and another pair of Lotus Eaters jumped over the bar top.

"He's over there! Don't let him escape!"

There are those reinforcements... Clovis thought.

He turned his eyes back to Miles desperately who was grumbling over something as she shoved money into her jeans, taking a golden watch and admiring it.

Across the casino, the shimmering blue portal was fading more and the other young demigods were inspecting it worriedly.

Clovis felt like he'd run ten miles and he was sweating profusely at the strain of staying at the casino so long. He blinked pitifully. He'd sworn on the River Styx he'd save one girl, but it seemed like he couldn't even save himself. "Miles, please! I'll do anything! Just please come with me!"

Miles gave Clovis a sideways glance, looking curious. "Anything?" She smirked. "Even a ki-"

"Anything! Now I'm leaving right now whether you're with me or not so take the offer or leave it!" Clovis spun on the heel on his sandal, hefted the unconscious girl higher on his shoulder, and made a break for the portal just as the Lotus Eaters made it to Miles. They paid her no mind, but continued chasing after the cabin counselor.

That didn't sit well with Miles. Her leg kicked out sharply, and a blonde Lotus Eater hit the ground. Miles sighed and caught up with Clovis. "Boy, you really made these guys mad."

"You followed me!" Clovis exclaimed, focusing his power on keeping the portal open and trying to hide his happiness.

"Well, yeah. You did promise anything and that portal looks fun."

Clovis let out a strained cry as the portal widened again, and he nearly fell forward. He forced himself to keep running. He looked up through half closed eyes to see the dark-skinned girl and the nervous boy looking up at him for permission.

"Go!" He shouted and the five demigods tumbled through the portal.

\-----------------------------------------

Clovis's eyes fluttered open with effort and he sat up groggily, mumbling ancient Greek curses. He was sore as all Hades. It hurt to breathe but he forced himself to do so. He couldn't remember what had made him so sore in the first place. As far as he knew, he had just been sleeping.

"Clovis, you're awake!"

Clovis blinked slowly, his vision clearing over time to show a girl with green hair and matching green eyes sitting on the side of the bed. He felt his ears begin to redden as he realized she was holding his hand. "L-Lou? What-"

Memories came crashing down on the blonde counselor and he ripped his hand away from Lou Ellen's. She looked a bit offended but more concerned than anything. Clovis could feel something hot and thick flooding from his nose, and he was willing to bet it wasn't snot.

"Clovis, you're bleeding-"

"Where are they?! Did they make it?!"

Lou Ellen frowned, feeling Clovis's forehead. "They made it here alright. What were you thinking, you big dummy?! Four?! Are you for real?! Delivering one was a hassle but four? You're nuts, bro."

Clovis tried to ignore all of the 'four' puns he could have just made and instead felt anxiety slam into him. "W-Where-"

"They're in the big house with Chiron and Mr. D. Will brought them there and they've been there ever since they've arrived."

Clovis's breaths began to quicken and he could feel his pulse race. "G-Gods, I c-couldn't wipe their m-memories yet!" He began to pull at his hair, heaving for breath now. "When Mr. D hears, I'll be d-dead m-meat! I'll lose the one job that makes me useful! I'll lose my position as cabin c-counselor!"

Lou Ellen brushed her hands across Clovis's cheeks gently. Her eyes were sympathetic and her frown was gone. "Shh, it's okay. You're okay. Take some deep breaths..." She soothed, her voice calm as if she'd done this before.

Clovis blinked his eyes closed and took a few slow breaths. Eventually, his shaking stopped and his eyes fluttered open again. He nodded gratefully at Lou Ellen before reaching for a tissue on his drawer and stuffing it up his bloody nose.

"Good... That's better. Do you want some water, Clove?" She asked, using a nickname she'd given him on their first day of camp. They'd become fast friends as they were not only both children of minor gods, but also some of the most judged demigods. Lou Ellen's mother was Hecate who had participated against the Olympians in the war a couple of years ago. Clovis's father's godly son Morpheus had also been on Kronos's side in the war.

Clovis nodded once again, loosening his grip on his hair and letting his hands drop to his sides.

The Hecate counselor was gone for a minute in the kitchen area of the cabin before returning with a glass of tap water.

"How gentile." Clovis murmured. "Thanks, Lou..."

Clovis downed the glass of water quickly, relishing in the feeling of the cold liquid flooding his throat and tongue. He sighed and set the empty glass on the drawer before arching his back luxuriously and throwing one leg over the bed. He hopped off the comfortable mattress and stretched his arms above his head. He began to walk to the door when Lou spoke up.

"Uh, C-Clove?"

"Yeah, Lou?"

"Where are you going?"

"The big house. Gotta make an appearance sometime... You coming with?"

"Y-Yeah, but you might want to get dressed first."

Clovis looked down and his face turned a dark crimson. He was wearing his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles boxers and nothing else.

Lou tried to play it off coolly, but her face was as red as Raphael's mask.

"Yeah, I guess I'd better get dressed before I see Mr. D. I don't think he has an appreciation for 'Juvenile Radiated Samurai Tortoises' like I do." Clovis mumbled sarcastically.

Lou's smile was the most refreshing thing he had seen all night.


	2. Miles is Saved by a Sword-Fighting Princess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four demigods have made it to Camp Half Blood, but where is their guide?

Miles had been having a weird night already what with crazy, romantic tourists and a glowing torch above her head. There'd even been some sparky blue portal she'd jumped through in this 'spur of the moment' thing, but once the horse-man came through the door, it was game over.

\--------------

After jumping through that portal with that strangely-attractive blonde guy, Miles had found herself skidding across dew-laden grass on the outskirts of a huge forest. The other three travelers were with her, though she noticed Mr Dreamy had disappeared. She felt oddly at home as she stared around the forest.

At first it seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary, which was saying something because everything today seemed to be out of the ordinary. 

The forest had huge green trees with lots of low hanging branches that made Miles want to climb them immediately. Fortunately, there were several deep gashes in the tree nearest to her that discouraged her quite some. 

On the ground several feet away, a glint of metal caught her eyes and she walked over cautiously. She felt a tug on her arm and turned to see the small boar boy with wide brown eyes staring at her incredulously. 

"What do you want?" She asked, her voice strangely parched. 

The boy flinched, but did not loosen his grip. 

"Y-You shouldn't be wandering around out here! We don't know what's out here. I-I think we should just wait for...h-him to come back for us..." 

Miles blinked skeptically, kicking at a patch of grass irritably. She suddenly felt so angry. She'd bumped into that guy in the casino, that glowing thing appeared in front of her face, the guy had danced with her, and then he'd started collecting weird glowy kids like it was the season for them. He'd led them through this portal, away from the casino where the bartenders strangely wanted to kill him and now he was gone. He didn't even explain where he was taking them, let alone why.

Miles took a deep breath, pulling away from the trembling boy gently. 

"Listen kid, do you really think after just leaving us here without telling us anything that he's going to come back?" 

The boy opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, looking down guiltily. 

"Wait, you honestly believe he is?" 

Miles couldn't hide the surprise in her voice. It might have been rude, but she didn't feel like censoring herself at the moment. 

The boy nodded, biting his lip.

"Well, I hope so..."

There was a strained groan from the ground and the two kids looked down to see the Asian girl from before. She had a large bump on her head and her ankle was still twisted sharply to the right. Her eyes were reluctantly opening and Miles knew what was coming next.

A long strand of curses erupted from the girl's mouth and she screamed loudly, tears already flooding down her face. The boy's hands shot to his ears as if he couldn't stand to hear such obscenities after just being in a noisy bar. Miles grit her teeth and ushered to the girl.

"Shut her up, will ya? I don't know what lives in these woods, but I'm guessing whatever it was left these marks." She stated, ushering to the gashes in the tree gingerly. 

Miles thought that the boy's eyes would pop out of his sockets if they widened any further. 

"You want me to kill her?!"

Miles stifled a laugh, walking towards the metal on the ground. She made a few waving hand gestures at the boy to discourage the thought. 

"No, no. Just...make her comfortable or something. Don't you know anything about first-aid?"

"I'm fourteen. Does it look like I know about first-aid?!" 

A soft chuckle escaped Miles' lips and she shook her head, trying to regain her composure. 

"Fair point. I'm seventeen and I don't either. Just calm her down like I said, alright? I want to see what that shiny thing is." 

He heard a labored sigh come from behind her back, but the boy dropped to his knees and started murmuring to the whimpering girl. Soon, she quieted down, but Miles could still hear her sniffling. She rolled her eyes. She'd broken bones before much worse and hadn't cried that much.

Miles bent down and picked up the metal object which was half-way lodged in the ground. It appeared to be a simple dagger, but it was oddly bronze colored. There was a large amount of gold splashes on the blade itself, and a few rusty red splatters near the hilt. Miles hopes it was just that: rust. 

Normally, she would have dropped the weapon and went back to the group, but this wasn't like exploring in California, Canada, or even Hawaii. This was a lot different. She wasn't with her aunt anymore and was instead lost in a forest with three other lame kids. 

Miles blinked, turning back to the other travelers. 

The boy was inspecting the ebony-haired girl's ankle and trying not to gag at how twisted it was while the girl bit her lip to keep from crying more. The other girl was sitting quietly on the ground, fingering through the folds on her pastel yellow dress indifferently. Miles hadn't heard her say a word since they'd met. It made her pretty uncomfortable.

She'd never met a young girl who didn't want to talk before.

Miles shook her head and shoved the dagger into her sweatshirt pocket. She felt like she'd need it later though she had no idea when she'd need to stab something. 

Maybe that black-haired girl if she didn't shut up.

Or that yellow dress one if she attacked first.

Not the boy though.

He was cool.

A flickering reflection of something shimmered just in the distance of where Miles was standing. It was yellow, almost golden in coloration and was very, very, VERY shiny. It caught her attention to say the least and Miles felt herself walking towards it. 

"Hey! Where are you going?!" The boy piped up from the ground, brushing his fingers through the injured girl's hair comfortingly. 

"I'm going to look for help. Just stay put you guys." 

The yellow-dressed girl looked up from her dress. Her gaze drifted from the other girl's broken ankle back to meet Miles' gaze sarcastically as if to say, 'We aren't going anywhere, trust me.'

Miles nodded awkwardly, turning back to the golden object in the distance and breaking into a jog. The closer she got, the more she noticed about it. It seemed to be fluffy as weird as it was to think. She'd seen weirder though, so it didn't bother her much. Its form wavered in a pine tree, emitting a soft glow. 

In the back of her mind, Miles thought she recognized the object. It almost looked like...wool? 

No, that couldn't be right. 

She'd seen farms outside the country and she'd never seen golden sheep before. Especially not that big. It had an almost welcoming aura to it as if it wanted her to come closer. She obediently walked closer until a deafening roar sounded behind the tree and all heck broke loose.

A huge lizard-like creature sprang from the trees beyond the pine and snarled, stepping in front of the wool protectively. Scorching hot breath snorted from its huge nostrils, blowing Miles' hair back crazily. She took a shaky step backwards, trying not to scream.

In front of her was a real life dragon. 

The dragon watched her, gnashing its teeth aggressively. Miles could not back away fast enough it seemed as the dragon surged forward with another ear-shattering howl rose from its throat. 

"Gotta go!" Miles squeaked, turning tail and racing back towards the portal drop off. She knew it wasn't smart to lead the dragon to her buddies, especially when one was unable to fight back, but she had no idea where else to go. Besides, the dragon seemed only mild interested the farther she got from the wool. She could hear his heavy footsteps (pawsteps?) behind her and a shriek burst from her lips. 

The trio looked up just in time to see a windswept Miles being chased by a dragon. 

Not the best thing to see after being stranded in a forest.

Three high-pitched yelps rose in turn, but the kids were seemingly petrified. It was understandable given the circumstances, but Miles wished they'd run already. 

She skidded across the grass and nearly knocked into the quiet girl who was standing now, her hand fumbling rapidly for something in her purple peacoat. Miles threw her body over the girl on the ground and wrapped her arms around the boy who looked as if his heart had just stopped. 

"Hey! Get over here! That's a dragon in case you didn't know and you're going to be barbecued if you don't get down!" Miles shouted, watching in bewildered horror as the tiny girl dug a novelty fairy wand out of her pocket. 

"Now is not the time for a princess dance recital!" She hissed. 

The girl seemed unaffected by this, waving the wand in a strange motion and taking a step back as the wand began to change shape. Quickly, the wand grew in length and began to sharpen until it was a full-length lance that looked as if it was straight from a tapestry. 

Shivering, Miles thought slightly about drawing her dagger and helping out, but she figured a tiny inexperienced dagger-wielding seventeen year old would be a tasty morsel for a hungry dragon. Besides, it seemed as if Swan Princess had it covered. 

The girl shook her head and her nappy hair bounced in the breeze. Her face was determined and she nodded to herself before taking a threatening step forward.

The dragon looked as uncomfortable as Miles usually felt around this girl, shifting its weight from one clawed foot to the other. Its golden gaze darted around the outskirts as if to say 'Usually my snacks don't fight back.'

The girl inhaled deeply before shooting forward, her lance aimed at the dragon's left ankle. 

"Stop!" 

The girl veered sharply to the right and came to a halt just as a burst of feathers landed in front of her. Aboard a living, breathing pegasus, was a frizzy red-haired girl and a blonde surfer-looking guy. The red-head raised her hand and approached the dragon casually as if he was an old friend. The blonde hopped off the pegasus and approached the fighter girl quickly.

"Are you three alright?" 

Miles nearly jumped out of her skin as a raven-haired boy appeared from seemingly nowhere, approaching the three kids on the ground with a mildly curious look on his face. His skin was olive-colored and his eyes were a deep brown. He was dressed in an aviator's jacket, black skull-printed shirt, and black skinny jeans. He was a little on the short side, but that didn't make him any less intimidating.

Miles swallowed her spit, backing off of the Asian girl beneath her and standing up, attempting to look cool as she brushed dirt off her sweatpants. 

"Yeah, yeah, we're fine. No ballistic dragons or weird teleporting dance partners at all! We've never been better, right guys?" Miles chattered nervously, angling her head towards the other two kids.

"I think I'm going to puke..." The brown-haired boy spoke up from the ground before promptly vomiting on the ground in front of him. The hurt girl shrieked and attempted to scoot away from him, catching her ankle on the ground and letting out a whine of pain.

The black-haired guy's lip curled, but he merely rolled his eyes and offered a doggy bag to the sick boy. He accepted it gratefully before puking once more. 

His dark brown eyes narrowed and the black-haired guy frowned. He looked even more intimidating like that and Miles thought he looked like he knew that too. 

"There's four of you this time. Something fishy is going on..." 

"Please don't bring up fish..." The fourteen year old moaned. 

The creepy dude shook his head, bending down near the girl on the ground. 

"Sorry, I was just think about something. I'm Nico Di Angelo of the Hades cabin. How did you people manage to get here in tact? From what I've seen, only one of you is capable of defending herself." Nico muttered, motioning to the nappy-haired girl who was wriggling uncomfortably in the inspecting gaze of the blonde guy. "Will! Give her some space, will you? She was just facing off against a dragon by herself. I think she needs a little time to process this." He called.

Will looked up, casting a dirty look at Nico. 

"She's fine when I say she's fine! Who's the doctor here?"

"You don't even have a degree-"

"Shut your mouth, Di Angelo!" 

"Love you too." Nico snorted, before turning back to the trio of very confused children. "Don't mind my...'significant other' over there. He's just worried about you guys. Don't worry about it though. He's a drama king. Just don't argue with him and you'll be fine. I've already called Chiron to notify the camp about new arrivals. Now follow me." 

Nico began walking towards a hill passed the forest. He stopped when he realized no one was following him. 

"Oh right, your ankle. Sorry. I'm new at this whole 'helping people' thing."

The three kids blinked at each other.

"I just have one question, Nico." Miles spoke up hesitantly. 

"Yeah, go ahead."

"What is going on?"

Nico cracked a smile which looked very unnatural on his face.

"You'll understand once we get into the camp. Trust me."

\----------------------------------

The group of newcomers were brought to a large house which was appropriately named 'The Big House' according to Nico. They were sat down, given a once over by Will, and then left alone with Nico and a boy with black cornrows for a couple minutes. He said his name was Austin and that he was Will's brother, but it was hard to believe. They seemed close in age and were completely different races. Miles didn't say that out loud though. She didn't want to make enemies after being kidnapped, er, rescued.

Austin scooped a few spoonfuls of a bowlful of something into the Asian girl's mouth. He called it ambrosia and the girl had eagerly accepted the bites. She claimed it tasted like Starbursts to her. 

As strange as it was, the more of the ambrosia the girl ate, the less swollen and twisted her ankle looked. After awhile though, Austin stopped feeding her the stuff. When the girl complained, Austin explained that if given too much ambrosia, you could burst into flames and disintegrate. She stopped complaining after that.

There was a long moment of silence that made everyone uncomfortable while Austin tended to the Asian girl's head in more traditional methods. Finally, Nico spoke up from one of the chairs and scared nearly everyone in the room except for Austin who seemed used to it.

"So, we haven't exactly made small talk, have we? Sorry, like I said, not good at this 'making friends' deal. Uh, nice day we're having?"

"Uh, yeah... Nice day..." Miles murmured. "If you like being kidnapped and almost devoured by dragons, it is a nice day."

"Don't be rude." The injured girl chided.

Miles rolled her eyes grumpily.

"Hey, listen. I know how strange it is to come to Camp for the first time, alright? We all have different experiences. I made the wine god angry. Cecil fell off a pegasus. Piper, Leo, and Jason did a cannon ball into the lake and destroyed Will's chariot." Nico grinned as if that was a fond memory. "But just because you don't understand what's going on, doesn't mean you have to be rude. You're safe now and you'll be staying here for awhile. It's best to start making friends now."

"That's solid advice guys." Austin put in. "I didn't have any friends when I first came here, but when I met Ellis, Miranda, and Cecil, I was set." Austin looked nervously at Nico. "And who could forget Nico!"

"Thanks Austin."

There was a knock at the door and before anyone could answer it, Will, the red haired girl, and a tall man with graying brown hair strode inside. After exchanging a few words, the red haired girl and Will left the room.

Miles did a double take as she looked down at the man's lower half. From the waist up, he was an average looking man who reminded Miles of a historian. Down from there, he was a pure white stallion.

His tail swished from side to side as he inspected the four kids with a curious look.

"Y-You're a..."

"Centaur? Yes, I'm quite aware, young one. My name is Chiron. Now do you have any idea what you are?"

Miles looked down at her legs to make sure they hadn't morphed into miniature pony hindquarters somehow and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her familiar sweatpants instead.

"Uh, I'm going to say yes, but you're probably going to tell me something completely different, I'm guessing. Like I'm Divergent or I'm a wizard or something."

The centaur chuckled.

"Close, but I'm afraid this isn't some fantastical book series that gets made into less than impressive movies. This is your life now. You four are something we call demigods presumably-"

"Sorry to interrupt, Chiron sir, but isn't a demigod the child of a god and a human?" The brown haired boy asked, his voice little more than a whisper. He looked like he would melt into the chair when Chiron turned to look at him.

"That is correct. You are a clever boy."

A light pink blush coated the boy's face and he sank lower in his seat.

"How is that even possible? I mean, the gods aren't real; everyone knows that." Miles piped, crossing her arms stubbornly.

Chiron and Austin exchanged an amused look while Nico brought his hand to his face.

"You mean to say that you've seen a real life dragon, talked to a centaur, and witnessed both shadow travel and pegasus flying and you still don't believe in the slightest that gods are real?"

Miles' face grew red with embarrassment but she held her ground.

"That's different."

Chiron took a deep breath and tried for a friendly smile.

"This never gets easier the more I do it... Austin, could you be a dear and step outside for awhile? I think you've done enough."

Austin nodded quickly, gathering up what was left of the ambrosia and shuffling out the door. It shut quietly and Chiron turned back to the five kids.

"Let's try a different approach, shall we? Let's start with the basics. What are your names?"

No one seemed overly eager to go first so Miles complied.

"I'm Miley McNamara but I go by Miles if you don't mind."

Chiron held out a hand and Miles shook it reluctantly. She discreetly wiped her hand on her sweatpants afterwards as if being a horse man was contagious.

The shivering boy blinked before stating his name ridiculously fast and quiet.

"I'm sorry, child. Could you repeat that? I promise I won't hurt you." Chiron stated gently. His voice reminded Miles of a caring teacher if anything.

"M-My name is Marty Diaz, sir."

"You don't have to be so formal with me, Marty. Is that a nickname by the way? Short for Martin perhaps?"

Marty shook his head, his face thoroughly reddened.

"Unusual, but not impossible, I suppose. Pleasure to meet you as well. How about you?" Chiron greeted pleasantly, turning to the healing girl on the metal table.

"Crystal Anderson. Thank you for taking care of me and being so hospitable. Especially after some of us have been so rude." She turned a pointed glare to Miles who huffed.

"Crystal, eh? I'm assuming you were named for eyes. Correct me if I'm wrong."

Miles turned to look at Crystal, REALLY look at her since she'd fallen off the table at the casino, and saw that her slightly slanted eyes were unusually blue in color. If Miles had learned anything in Science class, Crystal had a recessive gene.

Crystal nodded, not at all embarrassed. She had a friendly smile on her face and Miles grudgingly accepted the fact that she was a pretty, nice girl. A goody goody. Her least favorite type of girl.

Chiron turned suddenly to face the dark-skinned girl in the corner who jumped and looked like a cornered animal. Her big brown eyes were reminiscent of a deer in headlights.

"What about you, dear? What is your name?"

There was a long, frozen silence where time seemed to stand still. The girl hesitated, biting her tongue and the inside of her cheeks. Finally, knowing that Chiron wouldn't be giving up any time soon, she spoke.

"Jalissa Hart."

Her voice was like a feather; fragile, soft, and gentle. Miles almost couldn't believe she had actually spoke. Everyone seemed momentarily stunned at that but Nico cleared his throat and regained Chiron's focus. Miles had nearly forgotten the creepy dude was still in the room.

"Well, now that we're all acquainted," Chiron began, clearing his own throat. "Why don't we discuss how we all got here too. It's extremely unusual that we have more than one or two demigods arrive at the Camp at once. Especially near Peleus. However did you find yourself near that dragon?"

The four new demigods exchanged glance, quietly asking each other what information needed to be said. As usual, Miles took control of the situation.

"I come from a military family. My father left when I was born, we're pretty sure he's dead. My mother...Well... She disappeared when I was born. I don't know how it happened. I grew up with my aunt. We were always moving around the country with her job until we got to Nevada. I was... Exploring one day when I found this casino and decided to have some fun."

"Casino..." Nico muttered, looking deeply upset at this.

Chiron nodded. "You look young to be a gambler, but I suppose this is your story at all. Continue, please."

Miles looked thoughtful like she couldn't recall exactly what had happened.

"I...I don't remember much. I was partying for awhile I guess, but it didn't seem like that much time had passed."

Nico cringed.

"Anyways, I bumped into some guy I thought was cute in a dorky kind of way. I mean, the dude was weird. He was all decked out in Hawaiian tourist couture, but it looked totally forced. I was feeling pretty good about myself so I came on to him maybe a little but he was totally into it, I swear. Well, he was talking to me and asking me weird questions about myself, but I mean, he wasn't a pervert or anything. When he was talking... Something happened and he got pretty messed up about it."

"It happened to all of us!" Marty put in excitedly before during back down shyly. "At least I think it happened to Jalissa. I wasn't there to see it."

But Jalissa nodded in agreement.

"What exactly happened?" Chiron asked, looking curious.

"Nothing too crazy, I guess. Some floating glowy things popped out of nowhere. They were pretty cool, but they went away after awhile."

Chiron nodded, mumbling something that sounded like 'Taming' or 'Aiming' under his breath.

"So, me and this guy, we got dancing. He was pretty good and I was into it, but the glowing thing happened to Marty here and Mr Dreamboat lost interest in me. He led me over to him and then led us to the exit where there was this big blue portal thingy waiting for us." Miles snorted. "And then Crystal fell off a table."

Crystal pouted indignantly.

"The symbol surprised me, alright?"

Nico seemed disinterested in hearing about Crystal's plight and blinked thoughtfully.

"Dreamboat, portal..."

Miles looked at Nico semi-peeved.

"Thank you, Mr Parrot. I think I heard what I just said. You don't have to remind me of my rejection."

Nico ignored her.

"So, Chris was passed out on the floor and the guy went to help her out. He told us to stay by the portal because he was a buzz-kill. We did stay put for awhile but I got bored when he didn't come back right away. I started gambling with some guys by using Monopoly money. They didn't catch on so I guess I had that going for me. I was winning too, but then the boy came back with like four bartenders chasing him. He was trying to convince me to go back to the portal with him, but given a million dollars worth of gold watches and some scruffy Hawaiian cosplayer, what do you think I was going to choose?"

Crystal sniffed snottily.

"Don't call me 'Chris'."

Miles rolled her eyes.

"You're missing the point, beauty queen. Anyways, I was going to stay anyways but when he took off with Chris on his shoulder and those psychotic bartenders after him, I guess I felt bad. I went with him and the next thing I knew, I was here with these losers. Except Marty. He's only half loser."

"Thanks Miles!"

Miles crossed her arms once again, seemingly content with her story as Chiron and Nico mulled over her words. They seemed troubled.

"I don't really have any changes to the story. I was in the neighbourhood and I felt like exploring the casino I guess. And I did not fall off the table purposely." Crystal added.

"Who would?" Miles retorted.

Marty cracked his knuckles nervously.

" I... Just needed somewhere to stay for the night. No big deal."

Jalissa nodded, fumbling with the ribbon in her hair.

Nico looked up seriously at Miles. His eyes were intense and he looked like he knew what was going on though he didn't want to.

"Miles, what did the guy look like?"

Miles sat down again, sinking into the chair with a neutral expression on her face. She thought about the gentleman she'd encountered. Every last detail of him she could remember and how he'd made her feel even though they'd only met momentarily.

"Well, he was wearing a straw hat and sunglasses when I first met him. A pineapple print shirt and Bermuda shorts. Some flip-flops. Typical tourist wear. He was kind of chubby by his gut, but not horribly so. I couldn't see much of his face, but when he came back to me while I was gambling, he had lost his hat and he had blonde hair. It was kind of messy but in a flattering way. Major bed head. Total cutie."

Nico facepalmed again, dragging his hand down his face in a strained way.

"I know your 'Dreamboat'... He's... My friend."

Miles interest was piqued and she sat on the edge of her chair. She had so much she wanted to ask that guy like 'why did you steal me?', 'where have you been?', and 'do you want to kiss maybe because I'm down if you're down.'

Chiron looked at Nico in surprise.

"Who-"

He was interrupted as the door burst open and a girl with green hair styled similarly to Miles' stepped into the room, panting. A few seconds later, the man of the hour stumbled in wearing an orange t-shirt, black sweatpants, and a crimson stained tissue up his nose.

Miles, who had just been thinking of boldly going up to her boy and interrogating him in a sensual and flirty way was reduced to a puddle of mush. She opened her mouth to say 'took you long enough' but it came out garbled like "tuh yuh lawn earmuffs'

"Lou Ellen? Clovis? What's the mat-oh... Oh..."

Chiron seemed to put two and two together and paled.

"Excuse me, children. I have something to discuss with Mr Dreamboat."

\------------------

The centaur led the green-haired girl, Lou Ellen, and the blonde boy, Clovis to a room near the back of the Big House's hallway that read 'Director D' on the door. Clovis had casted a pitiful look through big baleful eyes at the other demigods as he was taken away.

Nico's face was red with either embarrassment or something more, maybe both. He refused to explain anything despite Crystal's polite pleading.

Miles was troubled.

Who was that girl, Lou Ellen and who did she think she was? She held Clovis's hand when they were led away and though she was never at the casino, she acted like she was a part of this whole situation.

Miles was jealous and she hadn't even met the real Clovis yet. He could be evil for all she knew, but she highly doubted it for some reason. He just seemed so sweet and kind.

All that was left to do was wait.

And wait.

And wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure that Marty and Clovis are my favorite characters to write about, but I can't pick favorites yet lmao


	3. Marty Gets Drop-Kicked By A Baby Cloud-Goat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The demigods are given a tour of camp...before being assaulted by beefy half-siblings and tiny satyr babies.

The longer Chiron's private meeting with Clovis droned on, the more tense Marty got. The more tense Marty got, the more he would twitch. The more he would twitch, the more looks he'd get from the other demigods in the room.

He wasn't the only twitchy one either. Miles looked almost murderous, picking at her nails and biting at her cuticles.

Jalissa was sitting by herself in the corner of the room, but she seemed perfectly happy to be alone.

Nico refused to look away from the door.

Only Crystal looked unaffected, humming quietly to herself and looking out one of the partially curtained windows. Through a crack in the fabric, Marty could see a clearing where at least twenty cabins sat. It was still pretty early, but a few demigods were milling about, chattering and getting together in giggly groups.

Marty shivered. Any one of those groups of people could be talking about him right now and he wouldn't know it. They could be judging him. What if the word that a giant floating boar's head had appeared over his face got out there? What people knew that he screamed like a little girl and hid near the bathrooms? What if people knew he'd nearly puked on that scary guy, Nico's shoes?

Marty decided he'd rather not think about it as he began to feel sick to his stomach again.

After what seemed like forever, there was the sound of a door opening and Marty turned his head to see Austin standing in the doorway.

"Chiron's done talking now. He wants to see you guys."

"Thanks, Austin... How's Clovis?" Nico questioned, standing up sharply.

Austin shrugged.

"I guess he's a little cowed. I don't know exactly what happened, but he seems really disappointed in himself. Lou Ellen's talking to him right now."

Nico nodded, looking thoughtful. He motioned for the four demigods to follow him outside the room and slowly, they complied.

Marty felt like his legs were made of jello. He shakily made his way to the door, cowering behind Miles as if there'd be a group of wild boars outside the wooden barrier, ready to attack him.

Crystal peered curiously over Miles' shoulder, her neck craning to see what was going on as two muffled voices talked back and forth. They belonged to Clovis and his friend, Lou Ellen. Clovis was looking at his feet, his face red while Lou Ellen rubbed her hand comfortingly down his back.

Marty wasn't one to eavesdrop, but he caught the end of the conversation.

"It was the one thing I could do that no one else could, Lou. Now how will those demigods get home?" Clovis moaned, a fresh batch of tears flooding down his face.

Lou Ellen brushed them away patiently as if she was used to the breakdowns.

"I know, I know, but think about the difference you made with the others! They get to live where they belong now! Besides, you were putting yourself in danger. I don't-we don't want you to get hurt."

Clovis sniffed, pouting.

"I was being careful. It was just one time..."

Nico cleared his throat loudly and Clovis jumped, spinning on his heel to face the demigods. He quickly dried his eyes and took a deep breath before putting on a sad smile.

"Hey guys. Sorry I left you hanging."

Marty felt Miles relax in front of him. All of the anger in her seemed to fly out the window.

"We forgive you..." She murmured, her voice squeaky and unnaturally docile considering who it was coming from.

"Looks like you got punished enough. What did you think you were accomplishing by sneaking off in the dream realm like that? Lotus Eaters are not forces to be reckoned with." Nico growled, his arms crossed. "What would you have done if they would have caught you?"

Clovis looked down guiltily.

"I was trying to help."

Nico shook his head though his eyes had softened.

"Clovis, if this is about Morpheus-"

Lou Ellen coughed loudly, sending Nico a clear warning.

The raven-haired boy scoffed but did not press the matter further.

Chiron was sharing a few quick words through a barely opened door with that mysterious Mr. D man. His white tail whisked back and forth anxiously, reminding Marty of his mom's old feather duster.

Finally, Chiron bowed on one horse leg and closed the door, exhaling loudly. He combed through his thinning, gray-brown hair and turned, trotting over to the group of demigods. Marty wondered how he kept from slipping on the tiled floor whilst on his hooves but had the decency to keep it to himself.

The centaur casted a pained look at Clovis who had removed the bloody tissue from his nostril. Blood began dripping out immediately and Marty felt a bit sick by the amount of scarlet liquid. He'd never seen a nose-bleed that bad before, but Clovis didn't seem that bothered like it happened all the time.

"Clovis, you did the children were claimed while at the casino, correct?"

Clovis leaned his head back on Lou Ellen's shoulder, momentarily ignoring the blood leaking out of his nose.

"Correct..."

Chiron motioned to his own nose and Clovis held his head back farther.

"Who were their godly parents?"

The blonde pinched the bridge of his nose and finally gave in when Lou Ellen handed him a tissue from her jeans' pocket.

One by one he pointed to the demigods he'd rescued, starting with Miles, to Marty, to Crystal, and finally to Jalissa.

"Hecate, Ares, Iris, Aphrodite..."

Marty blinked.

Ares... Wasn't he the god of war?

Marty gulped and hoped the others didn't hear his heartbeat pounding in his chest. It seemed to be doing rapid fire Morse code for 'GET ME OUTTA HERE'.

Crystal seemed confused, one eyebrow arching higher than the other. She mumbled something to herself quietly.

Miles stepped forward, her hands on her hips. Her spunk seemed to return whenever she was dealing with someone other than Clovis.

"So you're saying that one of my-one of all of our parents here, is a Greek god?"

Chiron nodded irritably.

"Or goddess. That's exactly what I told you in the infirmary but I suppose you were too busy arguing with me."

Miles' face turned red and she pouted like a little kid.

"It's just hard to believe; I mean, I know a lot of unbelievable things have happened today, but I've grown up without parents all my life and now you expect me to believe one of them is a Greek god? I just...I want to go home..."

Nico scoffed.

"This is your home now. Show a little respect and you might get somewhere."

Chiron nodded, opening his mouth to speak again, but Clovis stepped forward, putting himself between the centaur and the scolded girl.

"Don't be upset with them. This is a really hard concept to grasp and besides, you're supposed to be mad with me." Clovis dipped his head, but his voice still held some authority to it. "Every demigod's first day is the hardest."

Chiron hesitated, but nodded. He gave Nico a nudge and pointed to the door. The two of them strode across the hall before Chiron stopped and looked back.

"Show them to their cabins and then report to the pavilion. You're on dish cleaning duty."

Clovis sighed, leaning against Lou Ellen.

Marty faintly wondered what was so bad about dish cleaning duty, but then realized that this was a camp for demigods and probably had different ways of doing things. Besides, from the looks of the cabins, it seemed there would be a lot of people to clean up after.

"And don't think I've forgotten about you, Ms Lou Ellen. You are also on dish duty."

With that, Chiron sniffed and trotted outside the door. Nico casted one last glance at Clovis and disappeared after the centaur.

With the two most intimidating people out of the Big House, the entire group breathed a collective sigh of relief. There was a long moment of silence before Clovis coughed, feigning a smile. It made him look younger and more naive when he faked his smiles and it made Marty feel guilty. He'd been one of the contributors to this guy's troubles.

That's all he was.

A problem.

"So, uh... I guess I should start by apologizing." Clovis began, scratching his neck. Lou Ellen cooed a comforting whisper into his ear, brushing some stray hair back into place, but Clovis ignored her. "I'm sorry for messing up your lives and bringing you here. I'm sorry for leaving you out on the border. I'm sorry that this is all happening so quickly and I'm sorry that things will never be the same." He combed his hair back on his own before a little blush appeared on his tear-stained cheeks. "Gods, what am I doing? My name's Clovis and welcome to Camp Half-Blood."

Marty dipped his head in greeting, still not feeling the greatest. It seemed that every word that came out of this boy's voice held a certain sadness to them. Marty knew what that meant. 

This kid was obviously bullied around here. 

Suddenly he felt compelled to speak.

"It's not your fault. We don't blame you. Obviously you had reason to do this, and you would have walked us through this if you could have. It's very nice to meet you." The brunette boy held out a shaky hand. To his surprise, Clovis returned the gesture, brightening up himself.

"It's nice to meet you too... Agh, I never caught your names. Sorry. I mean...could you introduce yourselves please?"

Marty nodded politely. 

"I'm Marty." 

Jalissa rolled her eyes discreetly as if to say 'This again?" She murmured her name before turning her back to Clovis.

"Jalissa is a really pretty name." He offered, but Jalissa simply huffed and faced the other direction.

Crystal, ever the polite one, stepped forward and offered a friendly hug to Clovis. It didn't seem like she meant it to be flirty, but Clovis, Miles, and Lou Ellen's faces all reddened with a mixture of emotions. 

"Crystal Anderson. Thanks again for being such a dear. I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun here; a lot more fun than back at home." 

Taken out of context, her words sounded rude, but she didn't seem to mean it like that. It almost seemed like she was genuinely happy to be away from her home. 

Marty had to agree.

This was the first time in a long time since someone had taken noticed of him like this and he might actually have a home now. The idea was enough to get him excited. 

Clovis swallowed his spit, looking sort of flustered. He turned to Miles, looking a bit indifferent. His eyes were filled with dry humor.

"And who could forget the lovely Miles?" He asked sarcastically, though he seemed to mean his compliment in some way.

Miles blinked shyly which was a weird emotion to see on her. She stepped forward a little and tried to regain her confidence by puffing out her chest. She sidled a little closer to Clovis and he looked a bit uncomfortably surprised.

"I've been told I'm quite unforgettable..." Miles purred, her finger curling through the long part of her hair. 

"Oh, definitely..." 

Clovis looked back at Lou Ellen like 'Help me', but it was Crystal that took charge. 

"Miley, I'm sure Clovis is flattered by the puppy-dog flirting, but give it a break for a bit. I, for one, am curious to learn about my...'godly parent'... I've never heard of 'Iris' before." Her eyes fluttered slowly and Marty could see that it was all natural. "Is she the goddess of flowers or something?"

Clovis looked relieved that someone else had taken control of the situation though he did look a bit apologetic to Miles who looked stifled. 

"Ah, I'm sure you'd all like to hear about your parents, yeah?" 

Everyone nodded though Jalissa seemed a bit reluctant to do so.

"Well, Iris isn't the goddess of flowers. That would be Demeter, but good guess! Iris is the goddess of rainbows and the messenger for gods and demigods alike. Without her, there would be a lot of confusion on quests. Your mom's a minor god like my dad, so it's no wonder you haven't heard of her, but don't worry about it. Your mom's cool." Clovis explained, giving Crystal a warm smile. "There's only four Iris campers, but I'm sure you'll like them a lot."

Crystal, who had been smiling and nodding like a bobble head, suddenly tensed.

"Wait...there's others?"

Clovis nodded slowly, though he wasn't rude about it. 

"Yeah, I know. Hard concept. Really hard concept. Trust me, it was weird when I first met my half-siblings too. You all will have them." He casted a quick glance to Jalissa's back. "Some more than others."

Now it was Marty who was hesitant.

"Wait a second. I mean, I can understand having 'half-siblings' from the gods and goddesses other mortal relationships, but does that mean everyone at this camp is related? I mean, not to be rude, but didn't all of them marry their siblings and everything?"

Marty felt his face redden at the thought. He couldn't imagine having that many relatives in the same place. There seemed to be hundreds of kids here. Was he related to Chiron too? The idea was almost enough to cause him to faint.

Clovis giggled which as weird as it was to think, was oddly adorable. He was kind of a chubby guy, maybe not as tall as he should be as Lou Ellen, and Miles were taller than him and Crystal was eye to eye. He had light blonde hair with a permanent bedhead and bright blue eyes that sparkled with both child-like innocence and wisdom beyond his years. Although Marty was very sure he was a lot younger than Clovis, he couldn't help but think he was cute.

Marty's blush grew more intense.

Had he really just let himself think that?!

As if reading his thoughts, Clovis turned to face Marty. He didn't look angry, maybe even sympathetic. He opened his mouth to speak and Marty couldn't help but interjecting.

"Whoever your godly parent is; you can't read minds, can you?!" 

Clovis seemed a bit surprised, but, much to Marty's relief, he shook his head from side to side.

"No, of course not. My father, Hypnos is the god of sleep and memories. I can't read what you're thinking about right now, but I could see your memories and thoughts from a couple seconds ago if you let me." 

Marty froze.

"O-Only if I give you permission? Like that thing where a vampire can't enter your house at all unless you let him in?"

Lou Ellen snorted quietly, and even Clovis seemed amused.

"Kind of. I could see into your memories right now if I wanted to, but I won't do it unless you want me to. I think it's really rude to just go snooping in someone's mind. You don't have to worry about me stealthily watching you think or anything." Clovis gave him a sleepy smile "And I'm not a vampire by the way though it is flattering."

Marty wanted to melt into the floor beneath him, but he just returned the smile awkwardly and nodded. He was thankful at least that Clovis was modest about his powers, but he still didn't feel safe thinking...those thoughts around him.

Clovis yawned and Marty realized that he was starting to look less sad and more tired, swaying from side to side on his feet. Lou Ellen was supporting him casually like this was the usual. 

His father was the god of sleep after all.

"Anyways, Marty, I was going to talk to you about your dad. He's Ares, the god of war. I wouldn't be upset about that either, but your siblings might be a little...competitive. Clarisse is the head counselor of the Ares cabin so it might be the better bet to start making friends with her right away when she gets back home. She should be graduating college soon, so you don't have to worry about that."

Clovis reluctantly turned back to Miles who was looking at Lou Ellen irritably. Marty didn't really understand her anger as Lou Ellen had been virtually silent the whole time, but he decided not to ask about it. He was running through Clovis's words in his mind, trying to make himself feel better about having a war god as his father. Marty was as non-confrontational as a butterfly.

"Your mom's Hecate, but I won't go into too much detail because there's someone who can inform you a whole lot better than I can." The sleepy boy said sheepishly. 

Miles looked at him directly in the eyes. Marty had no idea how she could do that. Making eye contact wasn't easy when you were as short as he was, but it was also so uncomfortable for him. He could never make direct eye contact when talking to someone.

"Oh, yeah? Who would that be?" Miles asked, poking the tip of Clovis's nose cockily. 

Before he could respond, Lou Ellen raised an eyebrow. 

"Me." 

Miles squinted at Lou Ellen in confusion before realization hit her hard in the gut, slapped her in the face, and kicked her shins.

A very flustered Clovis motioned his head to Lou Ellen.

"Say hello to the Hecate counselor." 

Miles choked on her own breath and Crystal had to whack her hard on the back to get her talking again.

"You're my sister?!"

"Yeah, better get used to it." Lou Ellen muttered, rolling her eyes. She stuck her hand out to Miles, who hesitated before shaking it. When she was done, her hand retreated to her back and she gave a pained look to Clovis who was no longer paying attention. His head was tilted back and he was breathing deeply.

No, wait. 

He was snoring.

The Hypnos counselor was asleep on his feet. Lou Ellen noticed this and gave his side a prod. He yelped and opened his eyes.

"I'm up! Gods, Lou, you really gotta quit with the pressure point thing. Anyways, where was I? Oh, yeah. Jalissa. Your mother is Aphrodite, goddess of love. I'm going to be frank and say there's a lot of you. Like, a lot a lot. Not all of your siblings are going to be sweet like you. I'm not trying to turn you against your own sister, but I wouldn't associate with Drew much. She uses people unfortunately. I know personally. I'm sure you'll fit right in though!" 

Jalissa blew a puff of air at her bangs, but Marty could sense how worried she was about meeting her half-siblings. 

Clovis let out another enormous yawn so big that Marty could probably see the back of his throat if he wanted. Gently, he snapped his fingers to alert the counselor again. Clovis gave him a thankful nod.

"I think that just about covers what you need to know about your parents. From here, all that's left to do is get you your camp shirts, necklaces, and your cabins! I can show you all there if you'd like-"

Lou Ellen broke in, placing a hand on Clovis's shoulder.

"I think you've done enough for the day. Why don't you get some well-needed sleep so you're ready to help me with dish duty later."

Clovis seemed conflicted, his drowsy gaze flickering from the group of new demigods, back to Lou Ellen. As much as Marty wanted Clovis to be the one to show them around, he had to admit that he looked exhausted. 

"Go and get some sleep Clovis," Crystal murmured concernedly. "We won't mind, will we?"

Marty shook his head. Jalissa huffed and Miles growled.

"Speak for yourself..." She muttered under her breath.

Clovis blinked gratefully. 

"I guess I am a little...tired..." He hummed. "Thanks you guys. I'll see you at the campfire."

He swayed one more time before turning to the hallway door and leaving. 

Lou Ellen rolled her eyes. 

"I'll bet you five drachmas he doesn't even make it passed the Big House." 

She followed Clovis's steps to the door and motioned for the demigods to follow her. They complied, though Jalissa didn't seem all that happy. Marty wondered what was up with her. The entire time they'd been together, she'd seemed hostile and wary of everyone. It totally didn't fit her very elegant appearance, though she did seem to hold a regal air to her. Her yellow dress was neat though she had just been facing off against a dragon not more than an hour ago. 

Marty shook his head to clear his thoughts before chasing after his friends.

As he stepped out of the Big House, he realized that Lou Ellen had been right. Clovis was passed out on the front step, snoring so loudly he could have passed for a motorcycle. His butt was up in the air and his cheek was pressed against the step beneath him. A small pool of drool cascaded from his open mouth.

Marty stifled a laugh. Lou Ellen was looking at him endearingly like she found this kind of act adorable. Subconsciously, Marty agreed. 

Lou Ellen bent over near the sleeping demigod and hoisted him easily onto her shoulders in a fireman's carry. He didn't even stir. She smirked as she began walking towards the clearing where the cabins sat in a horse shoe like shape. Marty counted them rapid-fire in his over-processing brain. There was a total of twenty cabins.

Some of them actually looked kind of cool. There was a light brown cabin with a grass roof that Marty presumed was the Demeter cabin. Another two seemed to be made of gold and silver than shimmered in the afternoon sunlight. But the one that interested him the most was a great cabin made of bricks and metal. Gears were everywhere and two giant smoke stacks puffed twin black clouds into the sky. 

Marty's coffee brown eyes widened with awe.

"Who's cabin is that?" He asked, pointing desperately at the rusty cabin. "Please tell me Ares has a hobby."

Lou Ellen laughed quietly, shaking her head.

"No offense, but I can't imagine your dad building anything without destroying it afterwards. No, that's the Hephaestus cabin. Leo's the head counselor. He's a pretty cool dude, if you're into building and stuff like that."

Marty felt a little disheartened to learn that it wasn't his cabin, but he couldn't help but thinking he'd be spending a lot of time there. He loved to tinker with things and if that place was just as awesome on the inside as it was on the outside, Marty's bags were packed and ready to go.

"Where's my cabin?" Crystal asked giddily. "I'll bet with being the goddess of rainbows, Iris's cabin is gorgeous!" 

Lou Ellen nodded.

"A bit too colorful for my taste, but I'm sure you'll love it. In fact, it's right over there, right next to the Hypnos cabin. You'll be next door neighbors with Clovis. Speaking of Clovis, I should probably bring him home instead of lugging him all over camp, huh?"

Crystal squealed, racing over to the Iris cabin. Lou Ellen chased after her, and the other three demigods had no choice but to follow her. She was their leader and as the saying goes...

The Iris cabin was a beautiful marble building with a pastel rainbow gradient all the way down the front of the cabin. A few small clouds floated aimlessly around the roof and two fountains that were in the shape of a young hippie-esque woman sprayed droplets of water across the lawn, casting tiny spectrums where they landed. It was breath-taking in a sense.

In the front of the cabin, a tall boy with brown hair was talking to the spray of water before him like it was totally normal. Lou Ellen waved at him and he waved back casually.

"Hey Connor! Who ya talking to?" Lou Ellen questioned.

"Travis." Connor responded, pointing finger-guns at the spray of water.

Lou Ellen rolled her jade eyes.

"You just can't get enough of that brother o' yours, can you? Give him a break. He's got classes probably."

Connor sighed, and waved good-bye to the water. He stretched his arms above his head and cracked his back. 

"I miss him a lot though. It's not the same without him even if he is a big doof. The prankster duo isn't the best it can be as the prankster uno." 

"I kinda like it when I only have to watch my back for one idiot. Don't worry about it though, nerd. Travis will be back before you know it." 

Connor shrugged, waving to Crystal disinterestedly before walking away. Crystal seemed miffed. 

"Don't mind that. Connor was making an Iris message, so he's not crazy. Well, not entirely. If you throw a drachma into a spray of water and recite the offering saying to Iris, she'll show you whoever you want to see so you can talk." Lou Ellen explained, shifting Clovis higher up on her shoulders. 

Crystal huffed slightly, but nodded as if it made perfect sense to her. Together, Crystal and Lou Ellen (and Clovis if you count cute, sleeping boys) walked up to the door and knocked. Crystal shifted her weight from foot to foot excitedly when the sound of footsteps came from inside.

Not more than a couple seconds had passed before the door opened and a tall, buff, and bald boy stood in the doorway. He had a tattoo of a rainbow on his biceps. He did not fit the bill of a rainbowy guy. 

Marty had long since learned not to judge people outwardly, but it was hard to do this time.

Crystal had to stifle a gasp by covering her mouth. Her ice blue eyes were wide.

"Hi Butch!" Lou Ellen greeted pleasantly. "How ya doing?" 

Butch shrugged, cracking his neck at least three times.

"Just woke up not too long ago. Was thinking about taking Irie out for a fly. Her legs have been aching lately and I think it would do her some good to work her wings again."

Lou Ellen sighed sympathetically. "Poor old girl. I'm sure she'll be really thankful, Butch. You really are awesome with pegasai."

Butch smiled, which was really hard to decipher. He had a face like a pile of bricks. 

"So, who's the company, Lou? I don't think I've ever seen these bozos around before." Butch stated, addressing the other demigods jokingly. His eyes landed on Crystal.

"Your eyes are really something you know." He said with a grin. "Pretty rare for your race to have blue eyes, isn't it?" 

Crystal blinked and looked almost self-conscious. 

"They're really nothing special." She murmured.

Lou Ellen snorted.

"Ha! That's funny. Butch, meet your newest sister." 

Butch's eyes widened and for a second, Marty was scared of what he might do. Finally, Butch's entire face was squashed upwards with a blindingly white smile. He threw his arms around Crystal and Marty was certain he heard a crack as he pulled the scrawny girl in for a hug.

"Now I see where she gets it from." Miles said, rolling her eyes.

"It is so cool to have another sister! Nice to meet ya, sis! Can I call you that?"

There was a few muffled responses that could have been a number of replies, but Crystal's face was smashed in Butch's muscular chest. 

Jalissa scoffed, though she looked amused.

Lou Ellen chuckled heartily, patting Butch on the shoulder.

"Let her go, you animal! You're crushing her!" 

Butch blinked before letting Crystal go and scratching his head apologetically. 

"Sorry! It's just been awhile since I had a new sibling. Last one here was...Eva. Yeah, Eva! She's the youngest." Butch began cracking his knuckles, one after another. Marty mentally flinched at every snap, crackle, and pop.

Lou Ellen cringed too, but for an entirely different reason. Drool was dripping out of Clovis's lips and onto her shoulder.

"Ewww, Clovis! You're getting me all slobbery!" She chirped, the smile lines on her cheeks more prominent than ever. "We'd better get you home before you release the Pacific onto my shirt. I'll see you two at the campfire, right?" 

Butch nodded, giving Clovis a fond look.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." He simpered. "Come on, sis. I'll show you around."

Butch turned to the inside of the cabin.

"Sylvia, Kat, Eva, we've got company!" He called. 

Crystal gave the group of other demigods a flustered smile and wave before ducking inside the cabin and allowing the door to shut behind her. Lou Ellen turned to Marty and Miles and tilted her head to the cabin next door.

"Let's get Sleeping Beauty home, shall we?"

Miles clenched and unclenched her fist.

"Yeah, that'd be nice..."

The awake demigods trotted over to the Hypnos cabin. Cabin fifteen was styled after an old prairie house with a rush roof, bench swing, and red poppies above the entrance. The oak door was wide open and the heavy smell of incense wafted out comfortingly. Marty found himself yawning though he wasn't really tired.

Lou Ellen noticed this and smiled genuinely. 

"I'd better take him in. The Hypnos cabin is a little overpowering the first time. You probably wouldn't wake up until next month if you went in there without any experience. Just wait outside here for a minute. This shouldn't take long."

Miles mumbled something under her breath that even Marty couldn't hear. Lou Ellen dismissed it and waltzed up the creaky steps. She looked up at Clovis's sleeping face before disappearing inside.

Marty turned to Miles inquisitively. He wasn't the best with starting conversations, but he really wanted to talk to someone about what he'd seen so far.

"Is this camp amazing, or what?" He asked excitedly. 

Miles jumped and looked down at Marty, seemingly startled like she'd forgotten he'd existed. That was easy to do.

"O-Oh, yeah. It's totally cool." She responded quickly. Too quickly.

Marty's brows furrowed in concern.

"Miles, are you okay? Ever since we talked to Clovis and Lou Ellen in the Big House, you've been acting strangely. Are you feeling alright?"

Miles sighed, nodding slowly.

"I'm fine. Just...disappointed is all."

Marty couldn't stop himself.

"Disappointed? How?! This place is so amazing!" 

Miles kicked at the grass with her croc. 

"I dunno... I just thought that-"

Miles broke off sharply as she felt something tugging at her sweater. She looked down and nearly screamed. Pulling on her sweater with a pudgy hand, a tiny baby goat-boy looked up at her with big blue eyes.

"Blaaa-aaa-aaa!" He bleated, insistently. 

Miles jumped back away from the goat-baby, clutching her sweater where he'd grabbed it. The goat-baby baaed indignantly before turning to Marty. 

The goat-baby was chubby as most babies are in their early toddler stages. He had a mop of thick brown fuzz atop his head where two tiny horns were protruding. He was wearing a small orange T-shirt that read 'Camp Half-Blood' on it. He was wearing a diaper, but it looked awkward on him what with two little goat legs. He had a flickering stub of a tail on his rear as well.

"Miles, that was rude! You could have hurt the little guy! Besides, he's kinda cute." Marty exclaimed, bending over at the knees to look at the tiny creature in the eyes.

"Blaaa-aa!" It bleated and the next thing Marty knew he was on his butt, clutching his head which was currently spinning.

"Owwww..." Marty whined, stars swimming in his blurry vision. "Why'd you do that?!"

The goat baby seemed satisfied by the damage he'd caused and bleated happily.

Miles rushed over to Marty, standing in front of him protectively. "I told you that thing was bad news." She growled, inspecting the goat baby viciously. 

"Chuckster! There you are, ya little scamp!"

Marty blinked several times before his vision had cleared enough to see well again. His head still ached, but he managed to keep quiet as an even larger goat man galloped over to them. He was wearing a baseball cap, a Camp Half Blood shirt, and some black sunglasses. A whistle swung around by his chest.

The goat man reached the baby goat and took his pudgy hand in his much larger (and much hairier) hand. The baby goat baaed affectionately, cuddling his head into the man's side.

"Sorry about that folks! My kid here's been kinda feisty lately now that his horns are coming in. Man, I saw that head-butt from across the clearing and I'll bet that hurt." The man paused before holding up his other hand for his son. "Good job, sport! That'll teach 'em!"

"Blaaaa!" 

The goat man looked back down at Marty and trailed his gaze to Miles.

"Hey, I don't think I've seen you two cupcakes running laps for me in training before... You new here?"

Marty coughed, nodding faintly. The goat man's eyes brightened up like Butch's had before he'd smothered Crystal in a bear hug. Frankly, Marty didn't feel like getting a hug from a pants-less goat man today after he'd just been assaulted by his kin.

"Well, nice to meet ya! The name's Gleeson Hedge, but you'll be calling me Coach Hedge soon enough. I'm the best darned satyr there is, ya hear? Don't let that young upstart Grover tell you any different." His goat tail flicked happily back and forth which was a strange sight to take in.

Miles snorted and Jalissa shifted her weight from one foot to the other uneasily.

"Gleeson..."

Coach Hedge turned to her indignantly.

"Yeah? Whatta 'bout it?" 

"Nothing, nothing. I'm Miles, and this is Marty. Good to meet you too, I guess..."

Coach Hedge seemed to float from one subject to another. His eyes glimmered and he smiled stealthily.

"Let me guess...Hecate, Aphrodite, and Ares!"

Marty nearly choked on his spit. Or, maybe that was blood. He couldn't tell.

"How did you know?!" He exclaimed.

Coach Hedge seemed proud of himself, his grin broadening. The little satyr at his side stuck his tongue out like 'Haha, my dad's cooler than yours'. Marty wasn't complaining.

"You've got the smell of them! I used to be one of the best demigod trackers of my time. I've been slowing down lately though; it's all for Chuck. He's the best thing that's ever happened to this old goat...well, besides my wife, Mellie. She's a beaut!" 

Marty nodded, standing up unsteadily. 

"I'm sure she is, sir."

There was a creaking noise from behind the demigods and Marty turned his head to see Lou Ellen, FINALLY, stepping out of the Hypnos cabin. She had a dreamy gaze on her face, but she seemed to be awake. The door shut and she hopped off the porch easily. 

"'Ey, Coach! Take it easy on 'em. They're new here." She paused and smiled as she looked at the now shying satyr boy. "Hey, there Chucky!" 

The bleating was muffled by his father's fur. Lou Ellen looked like a newly wed, looking at the toddler warmly. Marty wondered if she'd ever thought about having kids some day. She'd be an interesting mom for sure.

Coach Hedge scratched at his baseball cap awkwardly. He pulled Chuck into his arms and held him towards Marty. 

"I should probably bring this dude back to his momma. She's gotta be worried sick about him. Say good-bye to your shrimpy friend, Chuck!" 

Marty began to wave at the little toddler when one of his tiny hooves kicked out and nailed him squarely on the cheek. It hurt, but not nearly as bad as the head-butt he'd received earlier. He winced and clutched his sore cheek.

"Bye, Chuck..." He muttered.

Coach Hedge let out a war-cry of bleat and hop-skipped towards a pavilion. He didn't look back once, and Marty was surprisingly okay with that. He'd received more than enough head trauma for one day.

Lou Ellen snickered. 

"Yep, that'll leave a mark. Gotta be careful around little Chucky. He's a little wild lately. Anyways, sorry for taking so long. Clovis likes to be tucked in." She blushed slightly, but ignored it superbly. "Let's get you three to your cabins now." 

The Hecate counselor began strolling to the far side of the cabins towards a horrific looking cabin. Marty was praying it wasn't his. It was splattered red with hopefully paint. The roof was covered in barbed wire and there was a huge stuffed boar head above the door. Its eyes seemed to challenge anyone who walked by.

Lou Ellen stopped at the beginning of the scruffy lawn. She scratched her head, thinking hard.

"W-What? What's wrong?" Marty asked anxiously. 

Lou Ellen took a hesitant step to the right. Weaving her way around the lawn crazily, she reached the door. 

"Sorry, I just...I couldn't remember where the land mines are. There's only three of them, I think, but they were moved after the war with the Romans. Ellis told me where they were once, but... Ah, you should be fine if you just mimic my steps." 

Marty's heart dropped to the floor.

He could barely remember his own name sometimes; how was he supposed to remember the erratic steps Lou Ellen had taken without getting blown to bacon bits?!

Miles on the other hand looked unfazed.

"Follow me, Marty. I have it memorized." She stated confidently. 

As rude as it was to think, Marty did not trust Miles enough to lead him through a mine-laden yard, but he had no choice. He'd have to trust her this time.

Miles began skirting on the edge of the lawn, and, much to Marty's surprise, mimicked Lou Ellen's steps perfectly. He followed Miles closely, trying to step exactly where she did. He didn't want his first impression to be dead silent. 

Jalissa stayed at the entrance of the cabin, her arms crossed. Marty had nearly forgotten she was here still. She was way too quiet.

Finally, the two demigods reached the door and Lou Ellen nodded proudly.

"I knew you could do it!" She praised. 

She turned to the door and knocked three times. 

Instantly, there was the sound of a scuffle, yelling, and thuds inside. Marty gulped when there was a squeal of 'Uncle' and then silence. Someone worked at the door and he could hear a ton of locks and chains jangling.

"U-Um, Lou Ellen?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"Wh-Who's cabin is this?"

"Yours!"

"That's what I was hoping you wouldn't say..."

Marty took a few deep breaths. He couldn't have an anxiety attack now in front of his new family. He couldn't act this weak in front of the children of a war god. He couldn't make himself the new doormat. He was going to have to be strong for once.

Lou Ellen patted his shoulder sympathetically which didn't help much. Marty wished terribly that Clovis was here with them still.

The door flung open, nearly bopping Lou Ellen in the face, but she didn't seem worried at the hostile access. 

A lanky boy with brown hair and hazel eyes answered the door. He had a red hand-print across his cheek and a few scratches on his arms, but he didn't seem all that threatening. 

"Hey, Lou. What's up? Cabin inspection?"

Lou Ellen shook her head, pushing Marty front and center much to his dismay.

"Nah. I gotcha a new sibling. His name's Marty." 

The boy looked down at Marty and gave him a sideways smile. It didn't seem malicious. It seemed to be the natural way he smiled. 

"Heya. I'm Ellis. Welcome to the Ares cabin. Sherman's out climbing the lava wall right now, but I'm sure he'll be stoked to have another chew-toy."

Marty paled and Ellis laughed loudly. 

"Just joshing you, kid. Come on inside and I'll get you a good bunk. Some of these idiots still have some respect for me." Ellis began walking inside. 

Marty casted a mournful glance at Miles and Lou Ellen before taking a shuddery breath and stepping inside. Miles waved to him half-heartedly, not looking happy in the slightest to be left alone with Lou Ellen and Jalissa. 

Just before the door closed, Lou Ellen mentioned something about the Aphrodite cabin and then the three were off. Marty gulped again, looking at the inside of his new home.

There were rusted weapons laying everywhere, some of them with golden splatters coating them. Several of the ceiling boards were coming undone and the roof sagged precariously towards the center of the cabin. There was one row of bunk-beds with crimson sheets and messy pillows. The cabin smelled strongly of B.O.

Two girls were sitting on the floor, reading a magazine. It appeared to be a hunting magazine with extra gory pictures. Marty felt his stomach begin to churn. 

Ellis squinted in the dim light of the cabin and motioned to someone in the darkness. 

A small girl swung down from one of the top bunks. She had mousy brown hair and matching eyes. Her Camp Half Blood shirt's sleeves were ripped up, exposing her surprisingly muscled arms. A red bandanna held back her bangs from her face. 

"Maxi, can you show Marty to a bunk? He's the newest addition."

Maxi nodded shyly, offering Marty a hand. Marty hesitated for awhile, just staring at her hand before she dropped it back to her side awkwardly and walking over to the bed. She pointed to the bed she'd just jumped down from. The bottom bunk was still fresh like no one had slept there in a long time.

"That one can be yours." She whispered. 

Marty nodded, his mouth dry. Suddenly, he wasn't so sure about being a demigod. 

There was a loud flushing sound like water going down a drain and unfortunately, Marty turned and nearly fainted. A guy set like a brick stepped out of a bathroom area, his hair and body wet. There was a raggedy towel around his waist, but it didn't leave much to the imagination. 

"Oh my gods, Mark!" One of the other girls shrieked, grabbing the nearest weapon, which happened to be a club, and throwing it at the wet dude. "Get some clothes on!" 

Mark snorted as he ducked to avoid being pummeled by the airborne club. 

"Pfft, come on. You know I'm hot."

"You're my half-brother, Mark!" 

Marty sighed, and flopped back onto his bed, rubbing his cheek and head simultaneously. 

How was he ever going to survive here?

He hoped that Miles, Crystal, and Jalissa liked their cabins a lot more than he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marty in the middle.


	4. Crystal and the Magic of Half Siblings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crystal meets her cabin and is already beginning to want to throw down.

When the tall, rough-looking guy with a rainbow tattoo on his bulging bicep answered the door to the cabin of the rainbow goddess, Crystal began having second thoughts about this whole 'demigodly half-siblings' thing. Butch seemed nice enough, but she was imagining someone a bit more...not Butch.

Crystal knew what it was like to have a sibling; she had one while ago before she got lost in Las Vegas. His name was Rudy and he was four years younger than her at the time she'd gone missing. He was a bit like a black haired puppy who followed you around constantly, begging to be pet. In all honesty, he reminded her of Marty. 

The newly appointed Iris camper felt a tugging sensation in her heart as an image of his smiling face filled her thoughts. She missed him a lot and although this camp was nice, she longed to see her annoying little brother again. 

Crystal shook her long black hair to clear her thoughts.

He was behind her now.

She had a new life to fulfill.

"-and that's basically the story of how the Iris campers got to make a cabin here. Sis? You listenin'?"

Crystal blinked her ice blue eyes and turned sharply to face Butch who was now standing by three younger girls who stared at her with interest. Two of them had dark red hair and wide hazel eyes while the smallest of the trio had dusky, nearly white hair. Her eyes were dark brown and shimmered brightly. 

"Um, yes...Butch! I'm listening! I was just...drifting off a little, I suppose."

Butch's eyebrows lilted downwards sympathetically.

"Hey, I understand how weird this must be to you. Trust me, I understand. We were all new here once too so if you ever have any questions, just ask. Now why don't we get you settled." The tall counselor trotted over to a closet that had been spray painted with a menagerie of colors. Inside the drawer was a seemingly endless supply of orange T-shirts. 

Crystal had never been a super clothing-oriented person, but seeing all of the orange made her sick to her stomach. Orange had never been a good match with her complexion and she rarely wore it because of that. Besides, she rather liked the camisole she was wearing now. 

Butch took a long look at Crystal's form, holding up shirt after shirt and comparing them to her. Each of the orange shirts had a black pegasus on it along with the words 'Camp Half-Blood'. These shirts in particular had a rainbow towards the bottom as a mean of identification. 

"Here. This should fit you pretty well. Let me know if you need a size smaller." Butch stated, handing the orange T-shirt to Crystal with a smile. Crystal, no wanting to be rude, took the clothing item, feeling her thumb over the fabric for a moment. Finally, she let out a small sigh and tossed her camisole over her head. 

She heard a few collective gasps from the crowd of half-siblings around her, but she didn't care. She was wearing a bra, so it wasn't that big of a deal. She always changed in front of her family at home, so what was the big deal?

Butch quickly covered her eyes and turned his head respectfully, motioning for his sisters to do the same. All of them followed the silent command except for one of the twins who gave Crystal a cocky look.

"Nice bra." She said almost genuinely. "Where'd you get it?"

"Kat! Give her some privacy!" Butch scolded, his face reddening beneath his palms.

Kat shrugged, flipping her hair sassily.

"If she wanted privacy, she would have asked where the bathroom was. You don't mind, do you?"

Crystal shook her head, but internally she felt like screaming.

The other twin felt for Kat without looking, finding her shoulder and slugging her hard. Kat rubbed at the mark indignantly before shoving her sister backwards and into the smallest girl. She squeaked and jumped out of the way, allowing the red-head to bonk into Butch.

"Hey! Cool it, you two. You're starting to remind me of Laurel and Holly more and more each day."

That got a simultaneous 'EW' from the twins who immediately stopped swatting at each other. 

"Don't ever compare me to those losers." Kat growled, crossing her arms. 

Crystal felt her heart quicken. She hadn't even been inside the cabin for ten minutes yet and she'd already started a family brawl. She couldn't let this be her first impression. She wanted things to be better here.

"Victoria's Secret."

Kat turned, mildly interested. 

"Huh?"

Crystal swallowed her spit, trying to look confident as she sidled into the Camp Half-Blood T-shirt. The shirt was just big enough to be a bit baggy on her, but was surprisingly comfortable. The new Iris camper decided it wasn't so bad after all.

"You asked me where I got my bra. Victoria's Secret section in some mall...can't remember where though..."

The russet-haired girl snorted, clapping her hands on her knees like this was the funniest thing she'd heard all day. Her sister giggled from near Butch as if there was some incredibly funny inside joke hidden somewhere in the air. Crystal was half tempted to ask the water fountain outside if she'd missed something. 

"Well, it's not a 'secret' any more. Seriously, is that the laciest bra they own? How much did that cost ya?" 

Butch stepped forward, placing his hand over Kat's mouth. Frankly, if it had been up to Crystal, she wouldn't have wanted any of her appendages near Kat's snarky tongue, but it had shut her up. The other twin quickly closed her mouth and hid behind Butch.

Crystal huffed haughtily, mumbling to herself out of habit before turning around in a slow circle. On a clothing rack near a pair of bunk beds, there was a pair of dry-denim blue jeans. As Crystal marched across the marble floor, she snatched the jeans, ignoring a whiny complaint from the hiding twin. In the corner of her vision, she spotted a doorway and walked towards it. 

The door shut behind her and Crystal let out a puff of breath. 

There was no way she was going to be able to stifle her anger in this cabin if Kat didn't keep her mouth shut. 

A tall body mirror laid against one of the bathroom walls and Crystal could see herself in it. Her black hair was silky and shiny, flowing down her shoulders and stopping right at her tail bone. Her pretty blue skirt now looked gaudy when paired with the mandatory orange T-shirt. The skirt fluttered to the ground and Crystal slipped the stolen blue jeans over her hips.

Her bottom lip jutted out in a pout as Crystal inspected the way the blue jeans fit her figure. 

Did her hips look too wide? 

Did the shirt make her chest look too small?

And worst of all, did those pants make her butt look big?

The Iris camper exhaled loudly, composing herself as she gathered the skirt in her arms and turned to the door. A deep breath shuddered down her chest and she flung the door open gallantly. 

"Hey!"

Crystal blinked in surprise at the tiny indignant voice. In front of her was the smallest sister, her dark brown eyes glimmering with concern. The door had narrowly missed her nose.

"O-Oh, sorry! I didn't know you were there..." Crystal apologized quickly, her cheeks threatening to redden.

The girl shrugged, looking pretty unbothered now. She had something in her small hand and was brushing her thumb over it gingerly as she looked up at Crystal. 

"It's fine. Happens all the time. I just wanted to check up on you after...you know." The short girl looked around shiftily before continuing. Crystal noticed that the twins and Butch were no longer inside the cabin. She could hear voice from outside of the cabin though. "You know, Kat isn't a bad person. Neither is Sylvia. They're just...they have an ego problem. They like to think of themselves as the counselors since Butch is such a pushover. They weren't trying to be rude...probably."

Crystal put on a fake smile at her little sister's slightly comforting words. Even if they weren't exactly the best worded, it still meant something to her. 

The girl held out her free hand with a friendly look. Crystal immediately locked her hand in the other's and shook it gently. 

"I'm Eva Castro. It's nice to meet you, Crystal. That is your name, right?" 

Crystal nodded. 

"That's pretty cool. I'm guessing you were named 'cause of your eyes right?"

Crystal covered her eyes self-consciously. 

"I wish everyone would stop bringing them up..." She mumbled, not feeling proud of her quirk for once in her life. 

Eva laughed though not in a mean way. She motioned to her own face and snapped her fingers. Her coffee brown eyes became an ocean blue immediately. 

Crystal's socks probably would have been blown off if she was wearing them. 

"H-How did you do that?!" She questioned, snapping her own fingers before realizing there was no way to see any changes. She frantically snapped them a few more times just in case. 

Eva giggled, moving her hand to her silver hair and brushing her fingers through it softly. The grey strands darkened to a royal purple, transitioned into a neon green, and finally stopped back at where they had started. She snapped her fingers in front of her eyes again, this time turning them an unnaturally bright yellow and dropping her hands to her sides.

"Oh, it's nothing special. Just a little trick we inherited from our mother. You should have the ability to do it to, but it might take some training to get used to it. My first week here was basically just me hiding out in the locker rooms, snapping my fingers and crying. I can teach you how if you want though. You're older so it should come easier." Eva paused for a minute, looking thoughtful. "That way, if someone was making fun of your eye color or something, you could just change them and play it off or something. I personally think your eyes are pretty cool though."

Crystal grinned (and actually meant it). 

"That's very kind of you, Eva. Thank you." 

Eva put a thumb up and beamed right back at her older sister. One of her top canine teeth was missing from her smile. 

"No hay problema, hermana! I brought you a welcome gift too. Here, take it."

Eva opened her closed palm and presented a sterling hair clip in the shape of a crescent moon. Crystal accepted the gift thankfully, and placed it in her hair right away, giving Eva a warm kiss on the cheek. 

"Thank you again, sweetie."

The front door opened and Kat stomped in, her sandals making pretty funny smacking sounds on the marble beneath her feet. She reached the backdoor of the cabin and stepped outside, letting out a long whistle as if to call something. Butch strode in after her, his arms crossed. Sylvia was nowhere to be seen. 

Butch's eyes trailed up to see Crystal's twinkling expression and softened up a bit. 

"Hey, sis. You alright? I know Kat can be a little much sometimes. Don't worry about it." The older boy threw a second glance at Eva. "Oh, showing off our powers, huh?" 

Eva tittered, nodding as her cat-like eyes glowed softly. With her silver hair paired with those peepers, she reminded Crystal faintly of a stray kitten she'd encountered back in Charleston. She'd desperately wanted to keep it, but her father was very strict on having pets. She had a cat back then anyways so getting a kitten would have been greedy.

Crystal decided a cool color-changing half-sibling would be better anyways. 

Suddenly, Crystal remembered something Clovis had mentioned earlier before he'd passed out on the Big House's lawn. Something about a-

"Hey, Butch? Sorry to change the subject, but you wouldn't happen to have a necklace with you for me, would you?"

Butch shook his head, his own necklace bopping against his muscled neck. On the black leather string were two beads; a white one with a rainbow painted on it, and a black one with a golden dragon on it. Crystal wondered if it was Peleus, but dismissed the idea. This dragon looked mechanical. It had the name 'Leo' written in Ancient Greek in a tiny print. 

Crystal had no idea how she could read it, or how she knew it was Greek, but she did want to know who 'Leo' was.

"Sorry, sis. You won't get your necklace until the end of your first Summer. Camp rules."

Eva nodded.

"I just got mine this year."

Crystal nodded curiously, feeling a little envious. Between her eyes and her story, she didn't want very many other striking differences about her in this camp. Being noticed was one thing, but being ridiculed was another. 

"Oh... Will my first bead be a rainbow too?" 

Butch shrugged.

"Unless something big happens this year, it will be. My first was bead a rainbow because it was the first year any minor demigods were allowed in the camp. You'll probably notice that Lou Ellen, Damien, Chiara, Paolo, Clovis, and the other minor demigods have their parents' symbols on their first beads too." A coy smile drew up Butch's lips. "I have a feeling that you might get a special bead this summer though. It's been pretty quiet down here recently and there's gotta be something bound to happen eventually."

Crystal though about this, thinking that a mechanical dragon couldn't have meant anything good back when the bead was painted. 

"I guess having a rainbow bead wouldn't be so bad..."

\----------------------

There wasn't a lot to be done around the cabin at all. With no bags to unpack, Crystal had to venture to the Hermes cabin with Eva to acquire some clothes and little things to personalize her bunk with. The only downside was she'd had to trade her blue skirt to one of the greedy daughters. The joke was on her though; that skirt was going to be way too big on her.

A few pictures of Van Goghesque landscapes were taped to the walls on the top bunk above Eva's. A spattering of glow in the dark star stickers were applied to the ceiling despite Kat's complaining. Eva helped Crystal turn her sheets a deep blue and added a floral pattern to her pillow as well. 

Now the small bunk felt at least a little similar to having a room to herself. 

After the decorating was complete, Butch drug the youngest siblings down to the dining pavilion to eat and socialize though it was a little late for lunch. There, Crystal had been amazed at the magical goblets that, upon voice command, would fill with whatever drink she desired. She could have sworn the peach tea in her goblet was all natural. 

After two barbecue sandwiches (and a few smuggled cookies from Cecil Markowitz), the sisters made their way down to the lake to skip stones and watch the canoeing classes from the shore. It had been pretty relaxing at first until Billie Ng from the Demeter cabin fell in.

Then it was plain hilarious. 

Eventually, the duo acknowledged the sky getting darker. A flood of demigods had been appearing at random, all on their way to a fire pit in the distance where a few flames were beginning to flicker. As the campers waltzed by, chatting about their days, Kat walked down to the shore, looking less than happy.

"Hey losers. If you're done spying on people, it's time for the campfire. Sylvia and Butch are already there." She sniffed regally. "And don't get sand on Sylvia's jeans."

Eva turned to Crystal, rolling her now emerald eyes. She stood up and brushed the sand off of her jorts before helping Crystal to her feet. Eva waved to Kat as if to say 'We got this'.

Kat snorted, spinning on a heel of her gods-awful sandals and padding after a very rough looking girl wearing a red do-rag. She bounced up to her side, bumping her hip with her own and earning only a scoff in return.

Crystal almost felt bad as the other girl strode away from Kat, but then realized that she'd probably have done the same thing if she were that girl.

Kat was very dislikable. 

Eva motioned for Crystal to follow her through the crowd. They passed a very strange looking rock as they made their way to the campfire. Eva explained that it was called Zeus's fist and was a very important landmark in Camp Half-Blood.

In all honesty, Crystal didn't think it looked like a fist at all.

The sound of excitable demigods grew almost overpowering as the two siblings made it to the fire and Crystal had to strain to hear Eva's tiny voice amongst the noise.

"We sit over there in the Iris section. And would you look at that? Kat wasn't lying. Butch is talking to Paolo in the stands."

Eva led Crystal through the mess of teenagers, only stopping once to say hi to Cecil again. She picked a seat away from the twins and flopped down, patting the seat beside her. Crystal accepted the offer and sat, letting her gaze drift around the clustered kids.

Underneath a banner with a four leafed clover etched into it, a tall pale guy was arguing with a caramel haired girl over what appeared to be absolutely nothing.

Near the Demeter section, a Hermes boy was flirting with an oblivious camper.

A blue shower of sparks erupted over the Hecate section and Crystal saw Miles duck for cover. Lou Ellen chuckled, giving the nearest sibling a high five.

A game of arm wrestling was going on between a very handsome Latino and the do-rag girl from before. She appeared to be winning.

Crystal picked out Clovis underneath a banner with a group of poppies on it. He was snoring with his cheek on another dozing boy's shoulder. He had a blanket around his waist and a pillow on his lap.

"Hey, that girl over there is staring at you." Eva piped.

Crystal followed her finger to a hugely populated section of demigods. Their banner had a dove on it and the sickeningly sweet smell of perfume could be scented from across the clearing. Amongst the campers seated there, Jalissa stared unblinkingly at Crystal.

The Iris camper flinched at the intensity of her gaze. Nervously, she waved back at her.

Jalissa immediately turned away.

Okay then... Crystal thought. Not creepy at all.

Suddenly, the crowd quieted down. The telltale sound of hooves on gravel clopped down to the fire pit and Chiron held up a hand.

"Greetings, demigods. Tonight we have four new arrivals with us. Miles of Hecate, Crystal of Iris, Marty of Ares, and Jalissa of Aphrodite. Please make them feel at home here from now on."

A few whoops and cheers rose up from the crowd but many people just looked confused. Murmurs flooded out of spectators' mouths and Crystal could only pick up a few words. Words like 'so many', 'strange', and 'quest'.

She snapped out of her fog as a yelp burst out near a raggedy banner. A few muscular demigods were snacking Marty on the back and slugging each other's shoulders roughly.

Poor Marty looked miserable.

Chiron kicked his hoof against the metal pit to quiet everyone down.

The flames in the fire pit were flickering haphazardly from blue to green to orange again. They seemed to be reflecting the general mood of the people.

"Now I know you all are questioning the rapid increase in demigods arriving at camp lately but I assure you that all cases are purely coincidental." Chiron glared pointedly at Clovis who was blinking sleepily at his section. He had probably just woke up.

"Anyways, Capture the Flag will be postponed until next weekend so that the new arrivals will get used to the camp first. We don't need any accidental deaths."

Crystal gulped, feeling the peach tea she'd had earlier rising in her throat.

"He's kidding, right?" She asked, tilting her head at Eva.

Eva snorted.

"Relax. There hasn't been a death in Capture the Flag since last month."

That was not reassuring.

A huge amount of angry shouts arose from all over the campfire and Chiron had to kick the pit several times to be heard again. 

"Would you all calm down? You've had Capture the Flag delays before. Honestly, you're all much too old to be making such a ruckus. Except for you Chuck."

"Blaaaa-aaa!"

Chiron let the faintest of smiles curl across his face before turning to a sunny yellow banner. The kids got riled up instantly as if they knew what was about to happen. The boy from before, Austin pulled out a saxophone while a girl with faded dyed hair beside him wet a reed for her clarinet. Will, looking a lot less stressed now that there was no golden dragon on the loose, called Nico over. 

For a second, Nico was no where to be seen. After a bit of hesitation, he appeared out of the shadows near Will. Will seemed unfazed, whispering into his boyfriend's ear. Nico sighed and rolled his eyes, but nodded anyways.

"Without further ado, the Apollo cabin will be leading tonight's campfire songs." Chiron announced, sitting his horsey hindquarters on the earth beneath him. His white tail whisked back and forth and a little satyr tried desperately to catch it. An almost transparent lady who was holding hands with a much larger satyr watched the little goat with fondness, placing a kiss on the other satyr's cheek. He reddened, but returned the favor.

Will began clapping his hands in a catchy rhythm before encouraging everyone else to do the same. Section by section, the demigods joined in, hooting and hollering like regular kids. Even Nico was clapping, bumping shoulders with Will good-naturedly.

"Come on everyone! Let's show these newcomers a good time with an old classic! How about some 'Down By the Aegean!"

A collective sheer of 'Yeah!' rocketed through the camp.

Will nudged Nico, acting out giving him a microphone. Nico took the imaginary mic, looking a little flustered. Despite his obvious anxieties, the raven-haired boy proceeded to start the song up, singing with a beautiful voice that compelled everyone else to join in. 

Even Crystal, who had never heard this song before, was joining in, catching the lyrics from Eva as she crooned along, making dramatic gestures. She looked like she was an opera singer. Crystal laughed, throwing an arm around her smaller siblings and rocking back and forth to the beat while singing what she knew.

Across the camp, Crystal saw Marty stand up and scurry through the crowd, seemingly racing towards the cabins. He was pulling at his hair, his chest heaving desperately as his wide brown eyes searched desperately for an exit. 

Crystal was about to help when she saw Jalissa also stand up. Figuring that the strange girl was going to comfort Marty, she focused more on singing. 

As the time went on, with the Apollo cabin asking for volunteers to sing, the 'mic' eventually got passed to one of Jalissa's siblings. She was a very pretty and well proportioned girl with tawny skin and sandy-colored hair with red streaks. She eyed the crowd deviously, licking her lips as she said two fateful words.

"Slow dance."

Crystal immediately paled. She knew nearly no one here personally aside from the demigods she'd arrived here with and her siblings. Who was she supposed to dance with? 

Chiron, who had long since retired to the stands, raised a hand to protest before realizing he was not going to win. More than half of the kids on the bleachers were jumping over their friends to get to their 'one and only's'.

The girl swayed her hips methodically, raising the imaginary microphone to her lips and singing with a hypnotizing voice.

"Loving you is easy cause you're beautiful. Making love with you is all I want to do."

Crystal hopped up the bleachers, trying to get a good view while staying away from the slow dancers below. She saw Eva jump up and over to a young boy whose shirt read 'Hephaestus'. Sylvia and Kat jokingly began to spin together. Nico valiantly fought Will before finally realizing he couldn't win.

Miles looked up hopefully, probably looking for her Dreamboat. Fortunately for Clovis, he was getting bumped by the Latino boy from before.

"Loving you is more than just a dream come true. And everything I do, is out of loving you."

"Ay! You up there! Come dance with me!"

Crystal looked down at the ground in surprise. A shorter boy with a strong build and dusky brown hair was giving her amiable gaze. He had a hand extended out towards her. His shirt read 'Hephaestus' and his necklace had four beads on it. 

Crystal, almost without thinking, skittered down the steps. On the last step, he took her hand, and helped her down. He moved her arms to his shoulders and slowly maneuvered his hands to her waist. Crystal sucked in her gut almost instinctively, but the guy didn't seem to notice. 

"La la la la la, la la la la la. La la la la la, la la la la la. Do do do do do, ooh."

Crystal rested her head on the boy's shoulder, near the crook of his neck. 

"Who are you?" She murmured as she began to sway with him. 

Crystal wasn't looking at him, but she knew he was smiling coyly. 

"Jake. Jake Mason. Pleased to meet your acquaintance, Ms Crystal. It's so nice to see a pretty face..."

Crystal sighed, breathing in the musky scent of her dance partner. He smelled like rainy days and an ocean breeze like he'd been running on the sands of the lake before coming here. There was also the very faint smell of motor oil on him, which was surprisingly charming. 

"No one else can make me feel the colors that you bring. Stay with me while we grow old, and we will live each day in spring time."

Out of the corner of Crystal's blue eyes, she spotted Clovis again. This time, he was without the Latino and was dancing with someone else. Crystal was willing to place bets that it was Lou Ellen until she noticed the very visible height difference. Clovis was looking down at his partner.

As he and the other demigod spun in a very slow circle, Crystal smiled, a warm feeling filling her heart. 

Marty, no longer panicking, was wrapped in Clovis's arms. He was looking up with absolute adoration as the sleepy blonde boy brushed his palm up and down his back comfortingly. Marty's face was coated with pink blush, but Clovis didn't seem to notice, his own eyes blinking languidly. 

Beside them, Lou Ellen looked on in approval. She seemed happy to see Marty much calmer and to see Clovis happy in general after being pointed out during the announcements. 

"Cause loving you has made my life so beautiful. And every day of my life, is filled with loving you." 

Crystal watched as a preppy looking boy jostled into him from the side, bumping him to the ground. The spell seemed to be broken as Marty's eyes went from nearly closed to wide open and scared. His face went from a flustered pink to a plain humiliated red. Crystal noticed angrily that tears threatened to spill from his hurt eyes.

"Wha'cha looking at, princess?" Jake questioned, not stopping the pace. "You alright?" 

Crystal sighed into Jake's neck watching as Clovis bent down with a concerned look on his face. After a few shared words, he grabbed Marty's hand and helped him up, pointing to his slippered feet. Marty blinked up at him questioningly before stepping onto Clovis's slippers and hugging himself into his chest. The blonde smiled, beginning to dance again with Marty on his feet. 

"Nothing..."

"Loving you I see your soul come shining through. And every time that we have ooohhh" 

"If you say so." Jake smirked slightly. "I barely know anything about you. Why don't you fill me in? Tell me something interesting about you, doll."

The Iris camper inhaled slowly, thinking over her words. 

"There's not much to tell."

Jake scoffed.

"Sure there is. Come on, anything. Anything at all."

"You sure are persistent."

"Maybe it's my fatal flaw~" Jake grunted, shifting a bit.

"I'll pretend I know what you mean by that. But seriously, my life is boring. I'm sure you have much more interesting stories to tell..."

"Yeah, maybe, but I asked you first."

"Alright, fine. Don't say I didn't warn you though. My father was a lawyer. He had me and my brother Rudy four years apart with me being the oldest. We obviously didn't have the same mother. We grew up in Virginia for the most part. We were on vacation in Las Vegas when I went exploring and-"

Crystal stopped. She couldn't blow Clovis's cover.

"And?"

She cleared her throat.

"And I made it here with the others."

Jake slowed down just the slightest, seemingly troubled.

"How did you get to the Long Island Sound from Las Vegas?"

Oh, so that's where we are... Crystal thought, somewhat mutinously. Would have been nice to know before I started lying about my life.

"A true demigod never reveals her secrets." 

A snort escaped from Jake who seemed unconvinced.

"Fine. Be that way, Crystal. One way or another, I'll make you crack."

"I'll bet you say that to all the girls."

"Maybe, maybe not. A true demigod never reveals his secrets~"

"I'm more in love with you."

\-------------------------------------------

"Thanks for walking us home, Jake. It was nice meeting you...and dancing with you." Crystal hummed, a very much asleep Eva in her arms. Jake was leaning against the doorway of the Iris cabin with a patient grin on his face. His foot, which was always seemingly tapping, was slowly bopping the marble beneath him.

"It was no problem, Chris." He cracked his neck habitually, and took a step forward. "If you ever need help with your schedule, classes, or where places are, I'm at Cabin 9. I'll be waiting for you." 

Crystal nodded, trying to conceal her blushing face with her ebony hair. Her moon hair clip glimmered in the moonlight as if it were made of stardust. 

There was a long pause where only the fading sounds of demigods retiring to their cabins and the wind drifting through the trees were heard. Jake never broke his gaze away from Crystal's face and although they'd only just met, all of the nerves in her body were screaming 'Kiss him'.

Jake shrugged his shoulders and tilted his head like a puppy would. His brown hair fell into his amber eyes and he blew a puff of air at it. 

"I'd better get going before Leo sets the cabin on fire again. I'll be seeing you around, I hope?"

"U-Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'll see you..."

Jake smiled. 

"Great..." 

And before Crystal knew what was happening, his soft lips were on her cheek and then he was gone, trotting to Cabin Nine with a smug look on his face. 

"Seeya, Chris!" He called.

"See you..."

Crystal's hand rose to her cheek where his lips had been only seconds ago. 

"What the heck was that?" 

Crystal jumped with a jolt as Miles leaned out from behind the Iris fountain, a smirk on her face. Dark grey eye shadow made her expression all the more sarcastic. 

"Miley! How long have you been there?!"

Miles scrunched up her nose.

"Long enough. And it's Miles, not Miley. Anyways, how come you never let me call you Chris?"

"Same difference. And because you're not an attractive boy who's stolen my heart, thank you very much."

Miles sidled up to Crystal, weaving around her like a shark circling her prey. 

"I could be~" 

Crystal rolled her eyes, a growl erupting from her usually polite mouth. Something about Miles just made her angry. 

"How about that makeup, Miley? All for Mr Dreamboat?"

Miles stopped for a second, blinking self-consciously before snorting. 

"As if I'd need makeup to impress Clovis. It's obvious he's interested in me at least a little. I just have to experiment to find out what makes him tick. And no, smoky eye-shadow is not one of those things."

The Iris camper tapped her foot on the marble entrance way, feeling Eva slipping in her arms. 

"Listen Miley, I just don't think Clovis is interested. I'm not trying to be rude. I'm just saying. Maybe find some other guy. Clovis seems pretty occupied with Lou Ellen and-" Crystal nearly said Marty, but quickly tried for a cover-up. "...sleep."

Miles's nostrils flared. 

"You know, for someone who claims they're not rude, you sure can be a bi-"

"Miles."

Miles hesitated. 

"We only just got here today. Isn't it a little to early to be thinking about dating anybody?" 

The Hecate camper seemed a bit cowed, looking down at her crocs and kicking at the marble.

"Maybe you should take your own advice to heart. You've already got Jake wrapped around your finger." Miles looked up inquisitively. "What is it about you? Why does everyone like you right away?"

Crystal felt her face heat up, but she couldn't think fast enough to hide her blush as Miles inspected her.

"Is it your smile? Your hair? Your hips? Your...eyes?" 

Miles stopped directly in front of Crystal, her nose nearly touching the other's. Her hazel eyes were almost the same color as Jake's. She stared into Crystal's blue orbs unblinkingly for a couple of seconds before trailing her eyes to her lips instead.

Crystal's hand went up to her face, shielding her mouth from Miles for whatever reason. She didn't know why she'd did it, but she suddenly felt scared.

"I'd like to think it's my personality..." She mumbled into her palm, looking down at the ground with a disheartened gaze. 

And then there was another silence. This one wasn't romantic as the one with Jake had been, but more of awkward and tense like any moment, one or the other would lunge and attack. 

As if reading Crystal's thought, Miles fumbled in her sweater's pocket. Crystal knew she had her dagger there. If she decided to attack, Crystal would have no chance. 

Miles took another step closer, inhaling deeply as she leaned closer to Crystal. One of her hands rose to Crystal's face. Her fingers brushed softly against the skin where Jake's lips had been. 

"You really are some angel, aren't you?" 

And with that, Miles withdrew her hand and hopped off of the marble, walking dismally toward Cabin twenty in the distance, not looking back once. 

Crystal's breath seemed to be caught as she watched Miles retreat into the night. Her eyes blinked once, twice, three times before she licked her lips nervously and turned to the door. As she stepped inside of her cabin to the snores of Butch and the arguing of the twins, she thought back to when she fell off of that table in the casino.

Maybe my life was much simpler back then...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Eva a lot honestly.   
> oH and a lot of the demigods in this story are my own characters such as Sylvia, Kat, and Eva. Most of the demigod ocs in this story that are minor characters were based off of characters barely mentioned at all in PJO and HOO.


	5. Jalissa Gets New Knickers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jalissa, who left the campfire early, is chilling at home when her entire cabin drops in to say hi. Isn't that lovely?

"Woo-hoo! Tonight's campfire was a blast. Thanks for doing that whole slow song business, Valentina!" 

Jalissa scoffed, placing her face on her hands as her half-siblings filed into the cabin, returning from their campfire shenanigans. The tallest of them, Billy, threw her arms around the ever popular Valentina and rubbed her cheek against the other girl's. Valentina giggled, but as soon as Billy let her go, she immediately checked her blush. 

Jalissa hated it here.

There were too many people in one place; loud people at that. They were all vain to some degree and it seemed that there was only an ounce of personality between all of them. Jalissa saw no problem with admiring one's own appearance every once in awhile and trying to keep it neat and presentable at all times, but this was ridiculous. Especially since more than half of the cabin had charmed their makeup to make it permanently affixed to their doll-like faces.

Jalissa's coffee brown eyes trailed up to the mirror in front of her, resting her arms on the vanity desk. The yellowy lights from the mirror hurt her eyes, but she'd rather keep staring if it meant that she didn't have to socialize.

"Piper, have you seen my hair brush?" Lacy, the youngest of the group aside from the new arrival asked timidly. Her baby blue eyes darted around the cabin and her bottom lip trembled slightly like at any moment she might have a meltdown. 

The cabin counselor, a naturally pretty tanned girl with chocolate brown hair, turned from looking out one of the many windows. She appeared to be waving to someone outside and was flustered noticeably when she turned. 

"What? Hair brush? Oh, no. I haven't seen your hairbrush, Lacy." 

Jalissa's gaze trailed down the mirror. Her shaky hand grasped the small drawer's handle and she tugged it out. Inside was a collection of pretty eye shadows and nail polishes. Towards the back, a lilac colored hairbrush sat. The bristles were glittery and tiny strands of silky blonde hair were tangled within them. 

The quiet girl fumbled past the useless makeup products and retrieved the item. She inspected it for a second, wondering if she should speak up or stay quiet and be amused by the petty problems of an Aphrodite girl. She figured that it would be better to return the hairbrush right away so as to get herself a good reputation among the cabin. So far, the only people who had noticed her (and shown her kindness) were Mitchell Holmes, Kristine Hall, and the girl who was now hopelessly searching for her missing brush. 

She'd gotten a warm welcome from Piper as well, but it had been distracted and rushed. She seemed to occupy a lot of her time with her trusty boyfriend. Jalissa rolled her eyes again, growing momentarily distracted. 

These kids were so fake. 

All they cared about were love, break-ups, and make-up. She's only been at Camp Half-Blood for around four or five hours and already walked in on three make-out sessions. Even worse, they had no decency when it came to their own bodies. They walked around freely in their underwear that barely covered anything it needed to, only because they thought they looked 'sexy'. 

Jalissa chuckled to herself.

They were much too starved and plastic to ever be sexy. Not that she cared anyways; she was too young to feel attraction to anyone in that way and she figured she'd never go that far anyways. She'd never even had a crush. 

Useless things.

"Hey! That new girl has your brush!" Announced a girl with bright red hair and an equally red face. 

Jalissa jumped, dropping the hairbrush and feeling her heart pound at the sudden accusation. She turned and bent her knees in a curtsy-like pose to grab the brush. 

Before she could reach it, a snooty black-haired boy snatched it from her grip and began to brush his own hair. 

"Hey!" Lacy squeaked though she seemed conflicted as to whether to yell at Jalissa or the boy who had stolen her prized possession. 

Jalissa stood back up casually, brushing her hands together and giving the red-haired girl an evil glare. She flinched, but kept her intimidating look on Jalissa.

"Listen, new girl. Just because you just got here doesn't give you the right to anything you want. You don't jut steal things like that!" She barked, her voice reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard. 

Jalissa shrugged, not bothering to explain that she hasn't stolen the brush to begin with.

"He just stole it and you have nothing to say to that?" She asked, her voice clear and holding authority way past her age. She gestured over calmly at the black haired boy who was holding the brush above Lacy's head.

A couple of the other demigods immediately turned their heads to face her, their eyes wide. A few of them whispered to each other and the one called Mitchell slowly made his way over to her.

"I've known Blake far longer than I've known you, thief." The redhead snarled, but she seemed unsure as Jalissa took a patient step forward, her ballet flats tapping lightly on the ground. 

"And that gives him more authority to steal the brush than I? " Jalissa shook her head, a smirk curling up her plump lips. "You people truly have a backwards justice system here." 

For a second, no one dared to speak. The tension between the two arguing girls was high though most of it was one-sided. Finally, the red-haired girl dipped her head. 

Piper shook herself before turning to Blake with a hand on her hip. He rolled his eyes and handed her the brush. Piper turned to Lacy and gave it to her. The small blonde blinked gratefully, her big eyes watery.

"Whatever. Just...just don't get too comfortable here, brat." The redhead growled quietly, turning towards one of the bunks and climbing onto the top. She laid down quickly and threw the sheet over her angrily. 

Jalissa sneered, fluffing her frizzy hair and turning back to the vanity. She was stopped when a hesitant hand tapped her shoulder. She immediately brushed away the touch, turning to face whoever her next opponent would be with confidence. 

It was Mitchell. His brown hair was messy and covering his warm eyes and he looked a little nervous. His free hand had permanently lodged itself in his jeans' pocket.

"Uh, Jalissa...I know Alberta was a little extra, but you really shouldn't steal..." He murmured, his voice as unsteady as he looked. He seemed as if he was new to this whole 'standing up to people' thing. 

Jalissa blew a puff of air at her forehead. She didn't bother to explain what she already knew was true. She'd only wanted to help and look at where that got her. 

Boy was social interaction exhausting.

"Listen, Mitchell. It will not happen again, I swear. Cross my heart. I've just had a rather exhausting day and I'd prefer if I was just left alone for the time being." She muttered back, trying to stay as polite as she could muster. 

Mitchell paused, her gaze darting over to Piper. The counselor shrugged unsurely, untangling some of the knots in Lacy's blonde hair. The small girl already looked more serene, nodding her head every once in awhile with sleepy eyes. 

"A-Alright. Uh, if you want there's-"

"A spare bunk bed over near the window and an entire season's worth of fancy night-clothes near the farthest vanity. I noticed. Pardon me for interrupting, but I was aware. Thank you." 

Jalissa ignored the mildly hurt look from her half-brother and walked over to the night-clothes. She grimaced as she took in the many different ways to expose yourself. There was lingerie that not even the trashiest of girls from her old school would have worn. Her gaze drifted over them, turning each one down in turn. 

She was so lost in her decision that she hardly noticed one of the twin girls wandering over to her. She had curly brown hair and curious hazel eyes. 

"Horrible, aren't they? There's a chest full of nightgowns if you like those better." The girl offered, nodding her head at the protruding trunk beneath the clothing rack. 

Jalissa eyed her suspiciously, expecting this to be some sort of crude prank for asserting herself. She crouched down delicately, unlocking the trunk and blowing the dust off of it. It seemed like it hadn't been opened in awhile. 

With a little of elbow grease, Jalissa cracked open the trunk, peering inside cautiously. She was mildly surprised (and pleased) to see that the only contents were floral nightgowns of all shades. A pretty pastel yellow one with tiny sunflowers and daisies on it caught her eye and she carefully lifted it from its container. She inspected it, noticing there was only a small tear towards the bottom of the front side. Easily corrected. 

Jalissa looked up at her half-sibling whose arms were crossed. She had an aura to her that could be compared to a lazy cat dozing in the sun. Not a care in the world and mellowed to the bone. This girl seemed like she had no care about her appearance at all. Her curls were tangled and knotted. Her eyes were dull and she had the slightest line of peach fuzz on her upper lip. She was lanky and about the same height as Clovis.

Jalissa decided this girl was a possible ally. 

Her half-sister extended a hand, blinking slowly as she waited for Jalissa to take it. Jalissa returned the offer though retreated her hand quickly. Human contact was not her thing. 

"Name's Grace Duncan. That's my sister over there. Her name's Hope." Grace yawned, shrugging her right shoulder towards a bunk. A girl with very neatly combed brown hair and brighter hazel eyes was sitting up in the bottom bed, flipping through a comic book. She didn't seem to be interested in the dialogue at all, only admiring the artwork.

Frankly, Jalissa was impressed she could read.

"I'm Jalissa Hart. Pleasure to meet you." She greeted, dipping her head politely. "Thank you for showing me the nightgowns. I don't feel like showing you all my private parts on my first night home." 

Grace snorted, her tired eyes glittering with good-humor. 

"It was really cool what you did earlier. I'm pretty sure that the only ones in this cabin that ever talk back to Alberta like that are Piper and Drew." Her hazel eyes shifted from side to side sneakily. "If you ask me, they're all just as bad." 

Jalissa giggled softly, the feeling unusual in her throat. She couldn't remember the last time she'd found something funny. It felt nice to laugh. 

She glanced up, letting her gaze drift like Grace's did. She rested her eyes on the open bathroom door and turned to her new sister. 

"Pardon me, Grace, but I would like to get changed into my nightgown. I'm hoping to catch at least a wink of sleep tonight." 

Grace smiled, stepping aside to let her much shorter sister through. Jalissa gave her a nod and headed over to the bathroom, nightgown in hand.

The bathroom was steamy and the mirrors were fogged up to the point of no return. The sound of steady water falling signaled that someone was currently showering. Jalissa shrugged, walking past the occupied shower and into a bathroom stall. Thankfully, the Aphrodite kids seemed to be as OCD about their surroundings as they were their clothes. The bathroom was spick and span. The glossy linoleum beneath Jalissa's feet gleamed up at her.

Jalissa shut the bathroom door and set the nightgown on a convenient clothing hanger and began to undo the multiple clasps and buttons that held her dress on her body. The comforting clothing item dropped lightly to the ground and Jalissa stepped free of it, letting her body breathe for a second before removing her flats and knee high socks. She shimmied out of her peacoat that had miraculously stayed on her thus far and finally tugged on the red ribbon in her hair. She took the loose ribbon, tied it to her peacoat's sleeve, and took off her thick black glasses as well. Balancing them on the back of the toilet, she grabbed the nightgown, threw it over her head, and allowed it to float over her.

It fit perfectly, only loose enough for the neckline to dip a little. Jalissa smiled, fancying the light feeling of the comfortable pajamas. It had been a long time since she'd worn clothing as breezy as this. She preferred to look well off wherever she went so no questions were asked.

Jalissa gathered her old outfit into her hands and unlocked the stall door, shuffling out awkwardly. It was hard to look proper when you had a pound of clothing in your arms. 

At the same time, she heard the shower faucet shut off. A few stray droplets of water plopped to the ground before it was almost silent (aside from the muffled conversations of the Aphrodite children outside). 

Jalissa had almost made it to the door when the shower stall opened and an elegant Asian girl stepped out. For a second, Jalissa feared she wouldn't be able to cover her eyes in time to give the girl some privacy, but she quickly realized that she was wearing a bathing suit. A skimpy one, but a suit nonetheless. 

The girl jogged over to Jalissa, eyeing her dubiously. She seemed to notice Jalissa staring at her because she immediately plastered on a fake Barbie smile. 

"Hello. I don't think I've seen you around before. What's your name?" 

Jalissa blinked. 

"Ja-"

"Do you want me to get the door for you? You seem like you have an armful." 

Jalissa didn't like the fake friendliness in her voice.

"If it isn't too much trouble..." She replied, her voice steadily conveying distrust. 

The girl shrugged, fluttering her long lashes. She stepped in front of Jalissa, opening the bathroom door and holding it open for the much shorter girl. 

Jalissa took a few slow steps forward, pretending to be highly interested on the floor. She calculated each step, wondering why there was a sudden burst of forced kindness from this girl. She hadn't even said a word when she'd offered to help her. 

Jalissa took one step out of the bathroom and took another, this time being met by the girl's extended leg. Jalissa stumbled over the slender limb, but didn't fall, Instead, she turned, swiping her leg and narrowly kicking in the girl's knee cap. 

Jalissa straightened herself up, looking at the highly bewildered girl. She clearly wasn't used to having her victims fight back.

"Don't do that again." Jalissa rumbled threateningly. 

With that, she walked the rest of the way to her bunk. Grace was sitting there, her head tilted back. Her hazel eyes were closed but one of them was slightly open, much like a cat's. She noticed Jalissa and scooted back on the mattress. 

"Looks good on you." She commented, closing her other eye and leaning back against the wall. 

Jalissa opened her mouth to thank her before thinking against herself and crawling onto her bed. She avoided touching Grace in the slightest, covering herself with the unoccupied part of the sheet. She placed her glasses near the wall and hoped they would still be there come morning.

She shifted her head back and forth until she was comfortable, slowing her breathing. She thought of the Lotus Casino; the flashing lights, the blaring music, the excited party-goers. Aside from that pig of a man who had assaulted her, Jalissa had rather liked it there.

Her eyebrows narrowed.

At least there, no one cared about who her mother was, what her age was, and what designer she was wearing.

As she drifted off into a light sleep, she shifted again.

Was it bad that she almost wished she was still there?

\--------------------------

Throughout the night, Jalissa was fitful. She'd managed to get in at least two hours of sleep, but it was hardly enough to power through her morning routine. During her rest, she'd had to fend off Blake when he tried to dip her hand into a bowl of warm water, a girl with piercing green eyes who had tried to give her a Sharpie mustache, and Drew when she'd attempted to cut her hair. 

Grace had finally taken guard duty when Jalissa could stand it no longer. She managed to ward off the others, but it still didn't help Jalissa. She kept dreaming of the casino, the man who'd touched her, and everyone's hero...Clovis.

For some reason she couldn't explain, she felt angry whenever his kind blue eyes had appeared in her dream. Something about him set her off. 

Him and that Lou Ellen girl. 

Jalissa had barely managed to get the rest she needed and now, walking tiredly to the pavilion with Grace and one of her half-brothers she'd deemed as decent, she felt like a living zombie. 

She squinted in the late summer sun's light, shielding her eyes with one of her hands. 

When she'd woke up, she'd immediately brushed her teeth and showered using spares of everything. She'd found an outfit she found alright and changed into it before grabbing Grace and leaving the dreaded Aphrodite cabin.

She was donning a horrifically orange Camp Half-Blood shirt and a pair of yellow shorts. She'd also switched from her flats to a pair of black sneakers. Her red hair ribbon had been tied in a neat bow in the back of her hair to complete her outfit. She didn't look half bad, but she didn't look half good either.

"What's for breakfast today, G? I'm starving." The tag-a-long half-brother announced, rubbing his nearly flat stomach hungrily. At least he'd eat. 

Grace shrugged, her frizzy brown hair cascading over her face. 

"Dunno, Martin. Probably just pancakes or something." She blinked a few times. "I don't think the dryads know what Captain Crunch is yet." 

Martin snickered, hop-skipping to catch up with his older sister. 

"You're right." 

Jalissa gave Martin a wary glance, but didn't say anything, keeping pace with her siblings somehow. Her will power was the only thing keeping her going. 

"Jalissa! Jalissa, hey!" 

Jalissa winced as a squeaky voice assaulted her ear drums. She turned her head disinterestedly to see Marty rushing over, two much taller girls in pursuit of him. They seemed to find chasing him quite hilarious, laughing and bumping each other roughly.

Marty reached Jalissa and immediately dropped behind her, panting heavily. His heart was beating so loudly that Jalissa could hear it. Sweat dripped off of his brow and he looked like he'd gotten just as much sleep as she had.

The two girls trotted over to Jalissa, cutting Martin and Grace off from her roughly. They circled around her, sending amused glances at Marty who was trembling enough to register as a small earthquake. 

"Nngh, Darla, Marianna, please leave me alone..." He whimpered, ducking onto the ground and crawling between Jalissa's legs for coverage. Jalissa let out a low growl, and he crawled backwards hurriedly, directly into one of his attackers. 

"Watch where you're going, little man. You still haven't been given the Ares initiation yet!" The girl barked, her eyes alight with malicious intent. 

Marty's eyes widened further and he wrapped his arms around his head.

"Ellis told me you all stopped doing that the year Percy showed up!" He whined, rocking back and forth and shaking harder. "Please don't give me a swirly!" 

"There will be no swirlies." An approaching voice announced, sounding irritated. The two girls turned to find the source of the voice and were instead met with an explosive attack.

"RAH!" Miles shouted, flying over to the two girls and taking them by surprise. The two girls let out strangled screams and bumped into each other to get away. They turned tail, running towards the pavilion and sending scared looks back.

Jalissa heaved a massive sigh, looking down at Marty who looked like he'd just suffered a slight heart attack. 

She offered out a hand to him uncharacteristically and helped him up before brushing her hands on her sides instinctively. 

"Are you alright?" She asked. 

As Marty's skinny chest heaved for breath, Jalissa thought to herself a bit triumphantly. 

I'm not the only one that's not settling in easy.

Miles jogged back over, giving Marty a once-over like a curious dog. 

"Yeah, who were those bozos anyways?" She asked, casting a proud look at where she'd sent the two girls fleeing. 

Marty took a deep breath and began walking to stand by Miles, clearly getting the hint that Jalissa had done all she wanted to. 

"Those were my sisters..." He whimpered, looking pathetically at the ground.

Miles blinked.

"No kidding?" 

Marty sighed. 

"I wish I was kidding about that." He looked up, searching the growing crowd of demigods who were heading to their breakfasts. "Have any of you seen Clovis? It's been a long night..."

Tell me about it. Jalissa thought, turning her searching gaze for her two lost siblings. 

Miles shook her head grumpily. She seemed to have a personal reason for being upset about the blonde boy being missing. Jalissa could guess.

"Haven't seen him all morning." She sighed and kicked at the ground angrily. "Lou Ellen said that we should give him a break." She rolled her eyes like 'As if'. 

Jalissa shrugged her shoulders, beginning to walk towards the pavilion again. Martin and Grace were ahead of her, waiting near the pavilion and casting concerned glances at Marty. They brightened slightly when Jalissa made it to them. 

The frizzy-haired girl turned her head to see that her 'friends' had followed her.

With an exhausted sigh, she turned back to her siblings.

Pardon that. I was...distracted. What's the system here?" She questioned. She could see a line of demigods in line sort of like a cafeteria at any school. A bunch of pale green ladies were serving wide variety of healthy breakfast items. 

Grace noted that Jalissa had noticed the line and motioned for her to get in line with her. Martin trailed behind as if a guard dog. 

"You basically just go through the line, tell the dryads what you want, and take a goblet. Then you go sit." Grace gestured over to a group of tables that were cram-packed with demigods. 

Jalissa noticed that each of the tables had an emblem on their table cloth. Her nervous gaze made it to a large table which was swamped with her half-siblings who flirted mercilessly with other tables and groped unsuspecting passerbys that got too close. Drew was sitting cross-legged, cooing at a pale boy with black hair that was tied in a small ponytail. The boy seemed conflicted, looking at Drew and then back to a tan girl who was covered in freckles. She sat at a table with a clover on the cloth.

Jalissa shuddered.

"Do we have to sit with our cabins?" She asked, praying to the gods above to take mercy on her soul. 

Martin snorted.

"We used to, but Chiron gave up on that rule when Nico started sitting at the Apollo table with Will. Then Damien started sitting with Chiara. And Lou Ellen started sitting with Clovis." Jalissa flinched. "We can basically sit wherever we want to now as long as we don't make a scene." 

Jalissa breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Thank God." She huffed.

"Thank the gods." Martin corrected cheekily, sending her a playful grin. Jalissa rolled her eyes.

Jalissa hadn't realized how fast the line was moving. She was already at the first dryad who offered her a bowl of oatmeal. Jalissa politely declined. 

Her brown eyes blinked with surprise as Martin went through the line, taking one of everything offered and already beginning to stuff his face with food. He also grabbed a noticeably bigger goblet than the others. A smear of peanut butter caked onto his upper lip though he didn't appear to notice. 

Jalissa wondered how he could eat that much food and remain as skinny as he was, but dismissed the thought as she walked out into the dining part of the pavilion behind Grace.

Grace twisted to face her younger sister. 

"Where you planning on sitting? I gotta sit with Hope." She explained, pointing at her twin who was blinking rapidly and plugging her ears nervously. 

Martin nodded. 

"And I'm sitting with Robin."

Jalissa let her gaze trail around the pavilion and spotted an unused table near the back. It had a a closed eye symbol. It looked like no one was planning on sitting there. 

"Over there." She murmured. 

Martin's eyes widened. 

"Morpheus's table?" He and Grace exchanged glances. "Alright, you do you I guess." 

He began walking over to the Aphrodite table, already starting on his bowl of cornflakes and somehow managing to keep his tray and goblet balanced. 

Graced dipped her head.

"Well, I'll see ya later, yeah? Have fun today and if you need anything, just ask me or Martin." 

Jalissa acknowledged the friendliness with a nod before padding over to the Morpheus table. She daintily lifted one leg over the bench, then the other, sitting down and placing her napkin on her lap. She looked inside of the empty goblet, wondering why she'd grabbed one in the first place. It was empty and there didn't appear to be anywhere to fill it up. 

With a shrug, Jalissa began to slice the fruit on her tray, dropping the slices into her bowl of yogurt. 

It was rather peaceful by herself. The sounds of the chaos behind her was background noise, muffled. The table was neat and undisturbed and the closed eye symbol was a peaceful addition. 

Jalissa lifted her spoon, scooping a small bit of her yogurt to her mouth. 

"She's over there, Lou. We should sit by her." 

Jalissa cringed.

Please don't sit-

"She does look sort of lonely. Alright, let's go, Clove." 

-by me...

Jalissa let out a heavy sigh as the blonde haired beauty and the buzz-cut butch made their way over to her, sitting down across the table and giving her friendly smiles. Clovis's eyes seemed tired as per usual and Lou Ellen seemed a little on edge herself. They expertly hid their inner feelings, immediately asking her questions. 

"How are you?"

"How did you sleep?"

"Do you like your cabin?"

"Do you like your siblings?"

Jalissa rested her head on the table.

"Are you okay-"

Their was the sound of bare feet slapping on the floor and Miles threw herself next to Jalissa, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her in for a sideways hug.

"Howdy doodly!" She greeted before realizing that Clovis was watching from across the table with wide eyes. She dropped Jalissa to her relief and shuffled so her feet were underneath the table and she was poised somewhat. She batted her eyes shyly at the blonde counselor across from her. Clovis gave her a small wave while Lou Ellen made a 'Stop it' hand sign.

Send in the rest of the clowns... Jalissa thought grumpily. There goes my peaceful breakfast. Come to think of it, I'm not hungry anymore. 

As if on cue, Marty hurried across the pavilion, narrowly missing being tripped by a brown haired boy with a stocky body set. Marty flopped next to Jalissa and breathed a weak sigh, looking inside of his goblet miserably. 

Not too long afterwards, Crystal sauntered over after telling a small girl with grey hair to go sit at the Iris table. She seemed to look conflicted, choosing to sit by Marty instead of Miles. She flipped her hair behind her back and cleared her throat.

"Good morning everyone." She greeted, ever the suck up.

Clovis blinked slowly and he looked to be almost asleep before Lou Ellen jabbed him in the side. He squeaked and sent her a half-hearted glare though he seemed to be used to that. He gave all of the demigods a glance before fiddling with his hands.

"So...how was everyone's first night at camp?" He asked awkwardly, his voice cracking slightly. 

Marty exchanged a glance with Miles and dipped his head. Crystal poked at her oatmeal quietly and Jalissa held her right to remain silent. 

Clovis frowned sympathetically. Jalissa noticed that he gave Lou Ellen a questioning look when addressing Miles considering they were sisters. He didn't say anything about the matter though.

"Aw, guys... It'll get better, I promise. I remember my first few days here. I was too scared to talk to anyone. I got picked on a lot and I was really lonely. I spent most of my time in my cabin, sleeping-well, I guess that hasn't changed..." He blushed a little with an embarrassed smile. "Anyways, after awhile, more people started to talk to me and I made some friends, namely Lou Ellen. Without her, I'd probably still be lonely." He bit his lip nervously, realizing that his speech wasn't exactly helping. "The point is, over time, it gets better. I promise. You just have to give it a chance, okay?"

Marty blinked unsurely, his gaze darting over to his table who were punching each other and picking fights with other tables. 

"I don't know if I'll ever get used to that..."

Clovis drummed his fingers on the table anxiously. 

"Try for me, okay? Please?" 

He wasn't even trying to pull of the puppy-dog pleading look, but with his naturally sparkling eyes and baby face, he was a tough competitor. 

Marty chewed on his bottom lip, his face reddening as he looked down at his feet, looking for anything other than Clovis to look at. 

"I-I guess I can..." 

Clovis brightened. 

"Great! Thanks, Marty." He suddenly remembered that there were more than two people sitting at the table, turning his gaze to Crystal and Jalissa. "Have you guys met Butch and Lacy yet? Or Mitchell?"

Jalissa sat up straight.

"We've talked..." 

Crystal nodded, looking a bit more relaxed than Jalissa was. 

"Butch is nice. He and Eva are really good to me." She chirped. 

Miles spoke up, clearly not liking that she was not the center of attention. 

"Laurence and Faith are nice to me!" She announced.

Lou Ellen cocked an eyebrow at her younger sister.

"Oh, yeah. And you too." 

Lou Ellen looked a bit hurt, but Clovis seemed pleased that at least two of his rescues were doing okay. 

"That's good! I'm sure you're all going to get a lot closer with your siblings in time. My cabin's pretty tightly knit. I've got two siblings." He smiled, showing his white teeth. "I'm sure they'd like to meet you all sometime. I think Sherman took Debbie out for a job though. We've been slacking on training lately..."

Lou Ellen's eyes brightened and she looked like she'd had a 'lightbulb' moment from the movies. 

"That reminds me; Miles, I scheduled for you and Kevin to have a training session together today. You're going to practice some of the more common spells. I'll be reviewing with you." 

Miles secretly rolled her eyes , but nodded.

"Yeah, sure. Sounds fun, sis." She mumbled, sending Clovis a pained look. He didn't seem to catch it, his eyes fluttering shut again. 

Lou Ellen bumped him gently and he blinked rapidly, trying to stay awake and looking apologetic. 

The rest of breakfast was quiet thankfully. The demigods simply ate their breakfasts and looked around at all the people in the pavilion. Lou Ellen had to keep Clovis awake by prodding him occasionally, but she didn't seem to mind too much. Her eyes twinkled fondly whenever his head would begin to tilt or his eyes would flicker shut. 

When Lou Ellen had gotten a particularly good jab at his pressure point, Clovis had yelped, sat straight up, and began to spew words that he had apparently decided to use as his cover.

"Goblets! The goblets...you guys don't know how to use them..." He panted slightly, rubbing his side tenderly, clearly beginning to get sore. He gave Marty a questioning glance as he reached for his goblet. Marty blushed and nodded, allowing the blonde to take it from across the table. 

Clovis held the goblet in his hand, tapping it against his palm absent-mindedly. 

"What's your favorite drink, Marty?" He asked.

Marty twitched. 

'C-Cola." 

Clovis closed his eyes and handed the goblet back to Marty whose hand dipped under a newfound weight in his goblet. He looked in with wide eyes and blinked as fizz bubbled to the top of his goblet. 

"How did you do that?" Miles questioned, picking up her own goblet suspiciously. Crystal seemed giddy.

Clovis opened his eyes again, seemingly fearing another jab from his friend. 

"Really easy." He stated. "Just think about what you want to drink and the goblet will fill up with it. You can also refill it at will. I don't even think you have to think of a drink sometimes. I heard that Percy switches between blue cherry coke and chocolate chip cookies." 

Jalissa looked at her goblet disinterestedly.

Strawberry milk... She thought lazily.

The goblet filled with the rosy pink liquid and Jalissa was impressed. She took a dainty sip and was amazed to find out that it tasted just like the strawberry milk at home. She took another drink just to be sure. She then placed the goblet back down and resisted the urge to snort as her companions as drank thirstily out of their cups.

"This...is...so...GOOD." Crystal mused, finishing off her goblet that refilled quickly. 

Marty nodded, giving Clovis a shy mile. 

Miles chugged her drink rapidly, refilling it again and again until she finally was satisfied.

"Nice trick." She announced. "Maybe this place isn't all bad." 

Clovis eyes twinkled excitedly.

"Glad you think so." Apparently watching the others drink their heart's delight made him thirsty. He took a small drink from his goblet that appeared to be filled with plain milk. 

The demigods sat and finished off their breakfasts, a bit more at ease than they had been when they'd first arrived at the table. Finally, Lou Ellen, who had been sitting patiently, stood up and stretched. Her cut-sleeved Camp Half-Blood top rose a bit and exposed her stomach and Clovis turned his head bashfully. Jalissa simply rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time. 

"Well, I'm done. Let's go train, Miles; unless you're still hungry." 

Miles gave her plate a look, but she was full. She muffled a burp in his fist and pushed the stray pieces of pancake that was left to the side. 

"Nah, I'm ready..." She replied.

Lou Ellen cracked her neck from side to side and nodded.

"Okay. Just scoop your leftovers into the fire pit over there and we'll go training." She said.

Miles nodded, and turned back to Clovis.

"See you later, cutie." She whispered before following her unaware sister to the fire pit. 

Clovis fumbled with his hands awkwardly, his ears red. He waved to Crystal as she went to rejoin her little sister across the pavilion. 

Jalissa looked across the clearing and her eyes rested on a strawberry patch in the distance. She decided that was what she felt like doing today. 

She turned back to her table.

"I'll be going then. See you." She declared, grabbing her tray and walking to the fire pit. Clovis waved to her retreating back and when she looked back at him, he was standing. His eyes trailed down the the tablecloth and his eyes widened. He backed up, his chest beginning to heave before Marty stood and walked over to him concernedly. He offered a hand to him and the blonde dipped his head, interlocking his fingers through Marty's and hurriedly walking the opposite direction of the table. He didn't seem to want to return to retrieve both of the trays he had left so suddenly. 

Jalissa saw him exchange a few shaky words with Marty before their forms disappeared in the distance. 

As she dumped her leftovers into the fire pit, she looked back at the table.

What was his problem? She thought. It was just a table...

But when her eyes drifted to the tablecloth, she could have sworn the closed eye winked at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Aphrodite cabin is so hard to write about rip


	6. Chapter 6 'Miles has a Slight Magic Mishap'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miles goes down to the training arena with Lou Ellen to practice her magic.

Miles  
'Miles has a Slight Magic Mishap'  
Miles followed her older sister, Lou Ellen as she sauntered across the camp casually. Miles noticed that her older sister carried herself with much confidence and seemed to not care about what anyone thought. Her head was held high, and she looked forward instead of down like Clovis did when he walked. Lou Ellen's emerald colored hair was whisked around a bit in the light summer breeze, and she often blew at the low hanging part of her hair as it brushed against her face. Her pale skin almost seemed to glow in the sunlight. The counselor had decided to wear a cut-sleeved Camp Half Blood T-shirt today, paired with a pair of black skinny jeans that fit her form very well. A pair of black military boots covered her feet and clomped noisily on the ground. Her Camp Half Blood necklace swung down her neck and bumped across her chest when she walked. One of the beads was purple and had a white pentagram like symbol on it. The other was black and had a golden dragon on it with the name 'Leo' painted in ancient Greek. The counselor of the Hecate cabin's appearance contrasted noticeably with the appearance of her half sister. Miles also had pale skin, but hers was dusted with a thick coat of freckles that managed to reach every part of her body in one way or another. Her lips were faintly red like worn lipstick due to Miles's bad habit of licking her lips. She had hazel eyes instead of jade ones like her sister. Her rusty red hair was shaved in a similar style to Lou Ellen's, but the back of her hair was beginning to get thicker as it regrew. She too was wearing a Camp Half Blood T-shirt that had been given to her the night previous, but she was wearing a pair of booty shorts with them. She'd caught lots of disgusted looks from passing campers today, but it was sort of what Miles was going for. Her feet were bare and padded against the green grass beneath her luxuriously. Ever since Miles was three, she hated to wear shoes and refused to wear them if she had the choice. No one had scolded her for going barefoot yet, so she hoped it would stay that way. Miles squared her shoulders, attempting to hold herself with as much confidence as her sister did. She usually did not care what other people thought of her, but now, standing next to her older half-sister, she was suddenly feeling very small. As the duo reached the training arena that was currently occupied by a few of the Ares cabin campers and the former head counselor's boyfriend, someone cried out in greeting. Miles watched as Kevin swooped down from the bleachers, a Cheshire Cat-like grin on his face. "Oi! Took you both long enough. Glad you finally decided to show face." Miles rolled her hazel eyes. Kevin Willis, one of her half siblings, was a bit of an drama queen. He was at an average height at age fifteen, and he couldn't have looked any different from his siblings if he tried. With dark, mocha colored skin, and curly hair, he looked more like Jalissa's sibling than anyone else's. He had unnaturally bright, amber eyes that looked almost like honey when he stood in the sunlight. He was lanky and highly flexible, often found bent over backwards on the top bunk above Miles' bed. Miles didn't mind him much as a person. He could be a bit of a trouble maker and had tried to prank her numerous times since she'd arrived, but it had all been harmless fun. For the most part though, he was a lot of fun to be around and always kept the party going. "Nice to see you too, Kev," Lou Ellen smirked, playfully swiping at her younger brother. Kevin ducked out of harm's way, used to being under attack by agitated people he'd managed to tick off. Miles found that his defense could use more work. "Anyways, are you two ready to start your training?" Lou Ellen's jade eyes trailed over to the arena. "Kev, I thought I told you to clear out the arena. If I remember right, I also told you to get some Apollo kid to make sure there was someone on first aid duty, just in case." She put a hand on her hip though she didn't look too upset. It was as if she was so used to the boys in her life slacking off, that she could not longer get angry with them. Kevin scratched the back of his head, playing innocent and batting his eyes at his older sister. "Are you sure it was me you asked? I think you might be mistaking me for Laurence." Laurence Wells was another one of Miles' siblings. She rather liked him as he was very passive and quiet, always listening to anything someone told him to do and performing it to the best of his ability. He was a bit of a doormat though which Kevin used to his advantage a lot. Lou Ellen scoffed. "Now why would I ask Laurence to set up a training session if he's not even taking part in it? Nope, not falling for that one. Just go find Kayla or something, okay? Miles and I will clear out the arena." We will? Miles thought skeptically, watching as the former Ares counselor's boyfriend defended himself from a low aimed blow from one of the sisters that had terrorized Marty earlier. The daughter of Ares's sister cheered her on from the sidelines before aiming a blow at a much smaller Ares camper with a red do-rag atop her messy brown hair. She looked somewhat like Marty and seemed to have the same disposition as she ducked out of the way without attacking. Kevin sent Lou Ellen a thumbs up, darting off with unsurprising speed towards the golden Apollo cabin. Miles watched him depart disinterestedly before turning back to Lou Ellen with a yawn. She was still a bit tired even though she'd slept the longest out of her siblings last night. "So, sis, how you planning on getting the knuckleheads out of here?" she questioned, motioning towards the Ares group. Lou Ellen gave her a playful wink. "Actually, we're bringing the knuckleheads in if you count Kevin and I. Don't worry about them though. Some of them respect me enough to leave." With that, the counselor trotted over to the fights, watching until the group was panting and taking a break from their spars. The former head counselor's boyfriend gave Lou Ellen a fair glance, and the small Ares girl seemed a bit intimidated. The other Ares girls did not look happy. "What's the deal, Witch? Can't you see we're training here?" Witch? Miles though incredulously. Lou Ellen? I think you're mistaken, sweetie. Lou Ellen took a patient breath in before releasing it with control. It seemed that this wasn't the first time this insult had been used against her. Whatever the reason, Lou Ellen had seemingly mastered ignoring it. "Actually, I set up a magic practicing session earlier with Chiron. He agreed that we could have arena to ourselves when need be. Besides, you guys have probably been here all morning. I wouldn't doubt it." Lou Ellen blew a puff of air at her hair. "I'd suggest leaving us be. Sometimes things can get a little chaotic and I wouldn't want you to lose a digit or two." The bolder of the two antagonizing girls snorted, jutting her hip out with a less than respectful stance. Miles wasn't a huge fan of Lou Ellen's, but she'd been nothing but friendly with her since she'd arrived, and the amount of disrespect flooding off of this girl was starting to irk her. Lou Ellen was a head counselor no matter how lax or quirky she was, and she deserved respect. "What's a little 'abra cadabra' gonna do to someone like me?" The former head counselor's boyfriend seemed to feel the tension in the air and began to usher the girl away from Lou Ellen. "Come on, Darla. Let's not start fights we can't finish..." Darla huffed again. "You're suggesting that I couldn't win in a battle against her? Are you kidding me? She's super scrawny, most likely weak, and the daughter of a minor goddess. Shall I go on?" Miles opened her jaws, about ready to pull another one of her stunts on this girl. Clearly Darla didn't remember how scared she'd been of a daughter of a minor goddess earlier when Miles had protected Marty from her. Perhaps she needed a reminder. Lou Ellen put an arm in front of her though, much like Miles's aunt used to do whenever the planes they'd ridden began to lift off. It was a bit of a protective stance, but also a warning. "Chýsimo: Afairéste ta cheíli tis," Lou Ellen mumbled steadily under her breath. Miles recognized Greek though she didn't know why and before she could translate the words' meanings in her head, she watched with morbid amusement as Darla's lips separated from her body, floating near her face. Darla's brown eyes widened in horror, and her hand shot to her face. Immediately, she jumped to try to grab her mouth and let out a muffled yelp when her lips floated further upwards. The smaller Ares girl let out a quiet giggle, and the boyfriend covered a smiled as Darla tried harder and harder to reach her mouth, failing miserably each time. Miles turned an impressed look to her older sister and felt a shiver go through her spine when Lou Ellen gave her another wink. Lou Ellen was cooler than she got credit for. Miles could think of plenty of people she'd like to perform that same spell on. Darla finally gave up, turning a desperate look to Lou Ellen, her eyes huge and watery. She clasped her hands together like she was praying, silently pleading with the Hecate counselor to return what was rightfully hers. Lou Ellen yawned. "Dunno... I mean, if you aren't going to lend us the arena..." Darla nodded rapidly; so intensely that Miles thought she might have gotten whiplash. Darla made a peace sign with her finger and ushered at Lou Ellen as if she could show no other sign of a truce. At that moment, the tapping of sneakers on sand sounded to the back of them, and Kevin trotted into the arena, followed by a girl with short dyed green hair. She looked to be highly annoyed with Lou Ellen's actions, snapping her fingers as she neared her. Lou Ellen rolled her eyes. "Fine, but if it were really up to me, you'd be pretty quiet for about a month," she motioned at the floating pair of closed lips and sighed out a reversal spell. "Chýsimo: antistrofí" Darla's lips returned to her face with a bolt of speed, and the Ares girl timidly opened her mouth once experimentally. She sent a fearful glance at Lou Ellen and Miles and mouthed, 'you're crazy.' Lou Ellen grinned. "Don't remind me. Now, have we learned out lesson about talking back to a head counselor?" Darla opened her mouth, looking less than enlightened, but the boyfriend stepped forward before she could speak. He looked apologetic as she covered her newly recovered mouth. "You got it, Lou Ellen," With that, he grabbed Darla by the hand and dragged her and her taller sister after him. The youngest sister stayed back for a minute, giving Lou Ellen an impressed look. Her brown eyes twinkled as if she'd seen a real life unicorn. "Please tell me you could do that again if you wanted to." Lou Ellen smiled. "One of the first spells I learned. Used it on a very annoying girl in my old school. Comes in handy a lot when the other counselors fight... Or when obnoxious Ares girls named, Darla try insult me." The smaller girl let out a long suffering noise. "Sorry about that. I promise we don't all think badly of you. Darla just... Hates everyone, I guess. Don't mind her," she scuffed her tattered sneaker on the ground before clearing her throat and sending a quick glance at the departing backs of her companions. "Well, I better get going before I get my butt kicked later. See you around!" With that, the Ares camper sped after her siblings, her spindly legs carrying her as fast as they could. Kevin and the Apollo girl strode over gingerly and Kevin burst out laughing. "What the Hades did I miss, you guys? That was sweet!" Lou Ellen was about to respond before the other girl opened her mouth, looking less that impressed. "I now know why you wanted me to come down here and monitor you guys. That was dangerous. What if you'd have forgotten the reversal incantation? You know how long it would take to reattach a floating, magically possessed mouth?" "Longer than reattaching both of someone's arms and legs, Kayla?" Lou Ellen shot back. Miles thought this was an incredibly strange thing to say, but kept quiet. Knowing this camp, it had probably happened once or twice in the past few days. Kayla shrugged begrudgingly. "Okay, you have a point. Just... Don't do that again without an okay or something, okay?" "Okay." Lou Ellen responded, catching onto the multiple 'okays' and playing it funny. Clearly Kayla didn't share the same sense of humor. Miles thought it was pretty funny. Kevin stepped between the squabbling girls, placing his hands up like he was the one in charge though he was younger than Kayla, Lou Ellen, AND Miles. "Ladies, ladies... Please..." he gave Lou Ellen a mischievous look. "Let's get to training, yeah?" Lou Ellen rubbed her hands together excitedly, her face morphing to one of ambition. Miles hoped that meant there would be even more spells that could possibly prove both hilarious and necessary in later events. I'd like to learn how to cast a spell or two on that dumb Jake Mason... Or maybe a love spell on Mr. Dreamboat... "Of course! I almost forgot why we were actually here!" Lou Ellen snorted, pulling Kevin over to her and shooing Kayla to the bleachers. The Apollo camper sat, eyeing the Hecate campers down grumpily. "Let's start!" Lou Ellen led her younger siblings to the center of the arena, looking more than a little antsy to start with her magic. Her emerald colored eyes seemed to spark and glow at the mere thought of magic. Miles wondered if Lou Ellen had drank several Red Bulls this morning mixed with her coffee. "Start by doing a few stretches to loosen up. It's much easier to do magic if you're not tense," Lou Ellen began, stretching out her legs and doing a few windmill like motions. She looked around slyly before leaning in and whispering, "Plus, the doctor's watching me. Gotta make it look like I know what I'm doing." Miles snorted before cracking her knuckles and arching her back. Kevin made a big deal of bending to the ground backwards and grabbing his heels. Lou Ellen rolled her eyes, but Miles was impressed that he didn't snap in half. Maybe he's secretly a contortionist, she thought, or a slinky. Once the Hecate campers had begun to feel a little like silly putty, Lou Ellen cracked her neck methodically and brought her hands up. "The first spell we'll be practicing is rather simple. Basically, it will alter your hair color. It's not very tricky, and I think it bothers the Iris cabin how easily we can do it, so it's always a fun one to know. Besides, it makes for a great party trick." Lou Ellen placed her index finger on the top of her head, closed her eyes, and recited the words with a smile. "Chýsimo: chróma ble." At once, Lou Ellen's hair turned a deep ocean blue. It looked rather different on her, but not bad. It definitely made her green eyes stand out. Miles marveled at this. Kevin seemed to be bored. "Aw, come on, Lou. Everyone knows that one. Even babies could do it if they happened to be magic blooded. Can't we move on to the good stuff like swapping bodies and altering the Mist?" He complained, his voice lilting with plenty of forced dramatics. Miles suddenly felt self conscious. She didn't know how to perform that spell, yet Kevin was making it seem like she should. Would Lou Ellen be upset with her if she couldn't do it correctly? "Sh, Kevin. Not everyone likes the sound of your voice. Just do it, okay? This is called training for a reason," Lou Ellen chided sarcastically, her voice still fortunately level. Kevin rolled his eyes before tapping his head with a flourish. "Chýsimo: chróma kítrinos." He muttered before his black hair morphed to the color of sweet corn. "Would you look at that?" Lou Ellen stated snarkily. "You can do it. Good job," she turned to Miles and gave her a genuine smile. Miles liked that she looked to be more pleased with her than she was with Kevin right now, simply for keeping her usually loud mouth shut. She would have to try it more often if it won her sister's approval. "Now you try. Just say the casting spell, the first part, and then say 'color' and what color you'd like in Greek." Miles swallowed her spit nervously. "But, I don't speak Greek. I speak English and Irish; that's it. I can't do much else." Lou Ellen gave her a patient smile. "Yes you do; know Greek at least. All Greek demigods are born with the power to speak, write, and read in Greek. It comes naturally to us," she tapped her chin. "Here, since you're new to it, just do what I do to help myself out. All you have to do is think about what word you want to say, and then let your tongue do the rest of the work." Very helpful, Captain Obvious. Thank you, Miles thought sarcastically. Kevin snorted from her side, giving her an incredulous look like he couldn't believe what he was witnessing. Miles might have to use that mouth removal spell on him if he kept that up. Lou Ellen sighed. "Just give it a try, alright?" Miles realized that her counselor was beginning to grow the tiniest bit impatient. Miles could not stand failure of disappointing people. She had to win her sister's approval, and she had to do it now. She swallowed her spit. "C-Chýsimo..." Just let your tongue do the rest... Chýsimo: chróma asími..." Miles stuttered, her voice unusually unsteady. Lou Ellen's eyes brightened, and Kevin looked somewhat impressed. Miles took that as a sign that she had managed to do it. Even so, she had to ask. "Did-Did it work?" The head counselor of Hecate gave her a friendly smile, and nod. "It did. Now, do you think you could do the reversal spell without either of us helping you out there?" Miles chewed her bottom lip. She tried to remember what Lou Ellen had said to return Darla's mouth to her body and hoped that it would do the same to her natural hair color. "Chýsimo: antistrofí." Lou Ellen gave Miles a pleased look, clapping her hands together proudly. "Congratulations, Miles. You have just performed your first magic spell and reversed it." Miles felt warmth spread through her body at the sound of her sister's approval. She puffed her chest out with self pride though she didn't know why. If the spell really was simple and easily completed, Miles should have been striving for better. Still, there was nothing like trying something new and excelling at it. "Let's try a couple more spells, shall we?" Lou Ellen tapped her head and repeated the reversal spell. Kevin followed suit, though a bit reluctantly as if he liked looking like a banana. "Ooh, I know. Let's keep going with the self alteration theme and try something a little tougher. If you guys are comfortable with it, we can try doing a gender swapping spell. I use this one all the time, but I know some people would be a little uncomfortable with the concept." Kevin's eyes widened, and he grinned brightly. "Yes! I love this one!" Lou Ellen looked over to Miles. "How about you?" Miles shrugged. She wasn't really all that concerned about her gender and what she was referred to as. She knew plenty of people that had thought she was a boy for the longest time and didn't mind when they called her one. Besides, this could be interesting. "Sure, why not?" Lou Ellen nodded. "I thought you might be okay with it," she turned her emerald eyes to face Kevin. "Why don't you start us off, alright?" Kevin nodded excitedly, looking like he was going to burst. "Chýsimo: gynaíka emfánisi," He chanted, pumping his fists as his body morphed to suit a female body type. "Sweet! I always thought I made a hot chick." Lou Ellen rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time since she'd started the lesson. She casted the spell on herself, and her shoulders broadened. Her chest flattened out, and her cheek bones became a bit more prominent than they usually were. "Your turn, Miles." Miles did not hesitate this time. "Chýsimo: andrikí emfánisi," she felt her entire body begin to change, feeling a mix of hot and cold as her muscles and bones stretched and pulled to make her look more masculine. Her shoulders broadened just the tiniest bit, her chest felt like it had been pressed down by a heavy tray, and, yes, she felt something fairly different between her legs. She was glad she'd worn thicker shorts today. "This is so cool," she marveled, admiring herself from all angles possible. "I always wondered what it would feel like." Lou Ellen smiled. "I really like this spell. It's fun to mess around with for sure, but it also means to lot to some of the kids in our camp that don't feel comfortable in their bodies. The spell only lasts a day, but if renewed, these kids can feel more comfortable with themselves. Some still prefer binders and such, but a few of them trust us enough to help. It's a pretty nice feeling, being able to help out like that." Miles nodded. "Sounds like it." Lou Ellen reversed her spell quickly, looking a bit buzzed from the promising turnout of this training session. Kevin did so too, looking a bit more reluctant this time and Miles followed them. It was a bit like a very intense game of Simon Says or Follow the Leader, but there was magic involved. Lou Ellen stretched once again, back in her regular body again. Miles did so as well, her muscles feeling a bit strange after that spell. They were burning slightly, but not unpleasantly. It was like she'd run a couple of miles and then eaten a Popsicle afterwards. She felt powerful. Lou Ellen let out a yawn that seemed to be contagious. Miles yawned too, her jaws opening wide enough to swallow an apple whole. Kevin tried to stifle his own yawn, but it deemed impossible. "We'll do one last spell, alright? You guys are doing really well so far, and I'm impressed," Lou Ellen stretched her arms forward. "This one's pretty tough because if you don't focus hard enough, it won't work well. This spell is to change yourself into an animal. It can be a bit dangerous because sometimes, you can forget you're really a human. That's where Kayla and I come in. We've dealt with this before, and we're here to help if it happens. You ready?" Her gaze surveyed her two siblings. "Who wants to go first? Or shall I?" Kevin tapped his foot. "I think I remember how it goes and I've been practicing with Lena so... Can I try?" Lou Ellen gave him the okay with a nod. "Awesome. Okay, so... Chýsimo: gínontai fídi." At once, Kevin dropped to the ground, but not as himself. His skin had been traded for scales, and his body was long and lanky. He was now a snake. Lou Ellen clapped loudly. "Good job, dude! That's pretty impressive." Miles smirked, not able to repress the sarcasm the dripped off of her tongue. "Great job, Kevin. You became a noodle. Just like your mother always wanted." Snake Kevin morphed back to full height and into a human with a soft hiss that must have been the reversal spell in snake. He cracked his knuckles and bowed. "Thank you. Thank you." Miles grinned, eager to try herself. She'd always liked cats, so maybe she should try that? Dogs were cool too, bu there were tons of possibilities she could turn out to be and she didn't want to morph into a poodle in front of her siblings. She'd had a pet iguana when she was little named Skink. Maybe she could just try to do that instead? Nah, cats are cuter. "Chýsimo: gínete gáta." Miles chanted, but she remained as tall as she was and without fur. She tried again in confusion. "Lou Ellen, why isn't it working?" Lou Ellen looked as patient as ever though Miles could see Kevin snickering off to the side. He'd finally beaten her at something. "Are you loose enough?" Lou Ellen questioned. Miles nodded. "Uh, I think so..." Lou Ellen tapped her chin. "Try again, but really focus on becoming a cat this time. Think about what it would be like to be a cat and make that your goal." Miles repeated the encantation but felt no different than before. She tried two more times with no result before giving up with a sigh. "Ha! I knew I could beat you at something!" Kevin crowed. "Not so tough now, are ya newbie?" "Kevin..." Lou Ellen warned. "You weren't the best the first time you tried either." He probably was though, Miles thought, and she's just trying to spare my feelings. Come on, why won't this work? Cat, cat, I'm a cat... Miles felt her entire body strain with the pressure of trying to perform such a complicated spell. Her veins felt like they were on fire and the blood boiled in her body. She felt her face redden as she tried the spell again and again, but it was as if her magic had been blocked off from her. Sweat dripped down her crinkled forehead, and Miles jammed her fingernails into her clenched fists. "Chýsimo: gínete gáta..." And once again, nothing happened. Lou Ellen looked somewhat disappointed to see the newest addition struggling with this spell, but she didn't looked all that surprised. Miles felt a wave of anger surge through her. Just because she was new at this magic thing didn't mean she had to be doubted so highly. "Maybe try another, smaller animal like a mouse or bird?" Lou Ellen suggested. "Birds always work for me." Miles breathed in deeply, trying to calm herself down and relax like Lou Ellen had first instructed and trying the spell again, this time replacing 'cat' with 'bird'. Yet again, her body remained very much demigodly. "I just don't get it. How come I could do the other two spells just fine, but not this one? It's turning into an animal for God's sake. It shouldn't be that complicated." Lou Ellen blinked slowly, her fingertips sparking slightly as she attempted to calm Miles down manually. Miles blocked off her mind grumpily, not allowing her sister to take control of her in any way, shape or form. "It is complicated though. Laurence and Faith struggle with this one a lot, and you just got here yesterday, so it's fine! Don't stress, Miles. With more training and lots of practice, you'll be able to do it just as easily as me and Kev-" Lou Ellen broke off awkwardly and extended a hand towards Miles. Miles shook her head adamantly. "I want to be able to do it. I will. I can do it, I know I can." "Are you sure about that? 'Cause we've been standing here for about ten minutes with no changes or improvement so..." Kevin put in cheekily, stretching his back again and crossing his arms. Lou Ellen sent her brother a warning glance. "Honestly, it's okay to admit that you're worse at spells than I am. Not everyone can be good at everything," Kevin shrugged, ignoring his older sister. Miles grit her teeth angrily. "Don't talk to me like that, Kev." Kevin scoffed, sending her an amused expression. "Like what? Like I've been here longer than you? Like I'm better at performing magic than you? Like I can use the animal spell and you-" "Chýsimo:gínete arouraíos!" Miles shouted, waving her hands at Kevin. A bolt of power shocked through her, starting in her right eye and coursing through her body. She felt a static tingling go through her fingers, aimed at her brother, and Kevin disappeared with a small electric snap. "O-Oh my gods!" Miles exclaimed, covering her mouth as her legs trembled like jello. Had she just killed her own half brother? Instead of horrified cries and demands of banishment or justice, Lou Ellen began to clap. Miles turned quickly, giving her counselor a bewildered glance. She didn't know whether to throw up, or to sit and bask in the praise she was receiving. "Well done, Miles! I knew you could do it!" Miles looked down at herself in confusion. She was still a demigod, human features, annoying freckles, and hazel eyes. Nothing had changed. Her gaze shifted to where Kevin once stood, and she gasped. In her half-brother's place was a dark grey rat who had a paw on its tiny hip, looking less than impressed. Miles recognized the sparkling amber eyes from the ground, and she breathed a giant sigh of relief. "Oh thank the gods." Miles murmured. "Did I... Did I use the spell on him?" "Yes, you did!" Lou Ellen applauded. "Not many of the Hecate cabin is capable of casting spells on living, breathing people, so this is remarkable! Not even Kevin can do it," she added, giving the rat a stern look. Kevin squeaked indignantly, racing over to Miles' bare feet and threatening to bite. Lou Ellen gave Miles an expectant look. Miles shrugged. "What?" "Turn him back. Come on, I know you can do it," Lou Ellen ordered, giving her a level-headed glance. Miles gave Kevin a nervous look, gulping quietly. She silently apologized for whatever horrible thing was going to happen to Kevin, but recited the spell and watched with amazement as the rat began to grow in height and- Clonk! "Owww!" the two Hecate siblings groaned in unison. Kevin's head had collided with Miles' chin as he morphed back into a human which wasn't the best feeling in the world. Miles clutched at her sore jaw as Kevin stumbled backwards unsteadily. "Who said you could turn me into a rat?" Kevin demanded, his foot tapping angrily. Miles snorted. "I did." "I let her." Lou Ellen chipped in. Kevin pouted, shaking his aching head. "Well, you could have at least turned me into a cool animal." "Rats are cool," Lou Ellen admonished. "I'm very proud of the both of you, you especially Miles. I've never seen such progress on the first day. Good work." Miles felt the praise wash over her, filling her with warm pride. Her chest puffed importantly, and she stuck her tongue out at her younger brother. "Now let's head back to the cabin and take a break, yeah? Magic takes a lot out of me and you two bozos too probably," Lou Ellen began to walk to the exit of the arena. Kayla rose up from the stands and raced over, blocking Lou Ellen swiftly before turning a stern gaze to the other campers as if tempting them to test her. She whipped out twin ice packs from her Capri pockets, handing them to Tweedledee and Tweedledum. "Nope. You three dorks aren't leaving until I give you all a thorough check up. Now stand still and stop talking." Miles let a shifty smile curl up her face. "But you have to admit, I was pretty awesome."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mweh


	7. Chapter 7 'Crystal Tells the Head Counselors to Eat Her Dust'a

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eva gives Crystal an only partially dangerous tour of camp.

Crystal

"Wow, you never really appreciate how big this place is until you get the tour, huh?" 

Crystal trailed at her younger sister's side with a wonder-filled twinkle in her eyes. She took in every detail of the camp around her from the green strawberry patches that were flecked with red in the distance, to the sparkling blue lake to her side. Straining her eyes, she could see three water-logged girls with glistening blue skin twirling their hair for a couple of passerby. Even further still, up on a ledge that overlooked the lake sat what looked to be Clovis and Marty, exchanging some deep conversation. 

Crystal hoped that everything was alright between them. 

"Yeah, the place used to be even more spacey before we minor god children came along too if you'd believe it. Our cabins didn't exist for the longest time until after the Titan War so up until then, it was completely bare. Honestly though, I like it like this more," Eva smiled appreciatively as her gaze landed on the Iris cabin that she called home. "It's a lot more cozy with all the people here and I can't even imagine not having our cabin." 

The taller Iris camper nodded, trying hard to picture the open clearing that her sister was describing. She decided that the camp would look odd without the beautiful rainbowy hue of the Iris cabin, the dark, foreboding presence of the Hades cabin, and the quiet, lulling peacefulness of the Hypnos cabin. 

As the duo went along, Crystal spotted what looked to be a rock climbing wall in the distance. It was pretty average looking for a rock wall with stone steps jutting out at odd angles and a button to press at the top. The only thing that made this rock wall stand out was that an intense heat was wavering off of it. Crystal couldn't see why the staff would need to keep the rock wall so warm when the weather inside of the barrier was mild and dry. Sure, it was winter outside, but that didn't seem to affect the camp at all. Some sort of magic kept the weather moderate at all times. Crystal decided not to question it. 

"That rock wall over there... Have you ever climbed it?" Crystal questioned, turning her gaze to Eva. 

Her younger sister looked at her with surprise and let out a flustered giggle. 

"Who, me? No! No way! I'd never be crazy enough to climb that thing...but you think I could do it?" 

Crystal shrugged. She'd climbed many rock walls and ropes in her old gym class and though she hadn't been the greatest at it, she got the job done anyways. Eva was small and somewhat frail looking, but with the right equipment, Crystal figured she could do it. 

Besides, lots of impossible things had seemed to be happening. If anything, Eva's chances were as good as any other demigod in the camp's. 

"I mean, sure. You probably could. It doesn't look so bad."

Eva snorted, her silver hair flouncing as she shook her head back and forth.

"I'm guessing you haven't seen the other side of the wall yet?"

Crystal tilted her head, reminiscent of a ebony furred puppy. 

"What exactly do you mean by that...?" 

Eva gave Crystal an almost pitying look as if she cherished the innocence that her older sister exhibited. It was a bit strange to be on the receiving end of the look considering that Eva was way younger than Crystal was, but she didn't argue. Eva was the only person in camp that she trusted family wise so far and she didn't want to make an enemy out of her already. 

The wispy girl intertwined her fingers through her older sister's and began to tug Crystal across the clearing.

"Let me show you, okay?" 

As the two Iris sisters neared a turn that led to the other side of the rock wall, Crystal felt the heat grow even more intense. Sweat was beginning to bead on her forehead and she used her free hand to wipe it away hastily. Her black converse crunched over the gravelly sand as she turned one last bend; she turned to look at her younger sister and was a bit alarmed to see a maniacal grin on her usually monotonous face. 

"Well, we're on the other side now! Turn around and take a nice look!" Eva ushered her, breaking away from the hand holding to shove Crystal a little closer. 

Crystal could see a tiny boy with black hair racing towards the rock to her right. He was very shrimpy and was smiling happily, not in the same way that Eva was. Crystal figured if he didn't seem to affected by the wall then she should be fine. She turned to glance at the wall and learned that she was severely wrong. 

Glowing liquid was dripping down the rock wall in large globs of orange, red, yellow, and white. As a particularly large clump of the stuff trickled down the wall, Crystal felt the temperature get noticeably more hot, fanning herself in distress and confusion. On the wall, a pale skinned boy with black hair in a pony tail was shoving an olive skinned girl to his left as they scrambled to beat each other. The girl lost her footing for a second and her military boot-clad foot grazed a cleft where some of the liquid was sitting. She yelped and shot up further on the wall as if she'd been given a turbo boost. 

"What is that stuff?!" Crystal asked, her voice high with anxiety as she watched the pale boy nearly stick his hand in a river of it. 

"Lava!" Eva chirped, throwing her arms up with great grandeur. Her face was illuminated in the lava's glowing light and she looked noticeably more insane than she normally did in Crystal's opinion. 

Crystal rubbed her eyes and blinked, looking back up at the rock wall in front of her. She'd seen moving rock walls, rock walls where one had to jump to get to the next step, and rock walls that glowed, but never one with magma dripping down it. One of her perfectly shaped eyebrows cocked and her eyes trailed further up.

"And it's real?" 

Eva nodded, her arms crossed with a sort of proud gesture as if the rock wall was her baby.

"One hundred percent natural lava taken straight from a volcano."

Crystal nodded slowly, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Uh-huh... And this... Doesn't bother you? Not even in the slightest?"

The tiny girl shrugged in response nonchalantly flipping her hair out of her yellow eyes. Meanwhile, the olive-skinned girl was nearing the top cleft of the wall, her arm stretched out to meet a buzzer at the top. Her pale competitor grabbed her by the foot and tugged her back down to his level, nearly pulling her off of the wall all together as he scrambled over her. The two batted at each other like children.

"Nah. I mean, from what I've learned in Chiron's camp history unit in mythology class, it's always sort of been there. They added the lava when a camp visitation day got out of hand. There was a manticore, some party ponies; it's a long story. Anyways, the old counselors just sort of decided the lava added more danger to the otherwise not all that challenging rock wall and we demigods are always up to challenging ourselves so... You know. Well, I shouldn't be boring you with all this. You'll learn as soon as you have Chiron for the first time. I can only pray you like boring old ancient folk."

Crystal's head was buzzing with all of the words that spewed out of her half sister's mouth. Something about a manticore... Boring... Ancient folk... It was all too much. Crystal decided to just accept the wall as it was. She did have one last concern though.

"Doesn't anyone ever... I dunno, get burned alive on that thing? I mean, come on. That's a complete safety hazard and you can't tell me otherwise."

Suddenly, a loud shriek erupted from the top of the wall, followed by a thud, and a sound reminiscent to a fire alarm. Crystal watched with horror as the pale boy dropped through the air and landed on the rocks below, his arm twisting beneath him sharply and his face almost wincing inwards with pain as he drew in a quick breath. As he bit down hard on his bottom lip, The olive skinned girl stood atop the highest peak of the wall, her arms up in triumph. She whooped loudly before sending a not so nice hand gesture to the pale boy on the ground and pressing the buzzer again to stop the god awful blaring. 

She had won. 

"In your face, Flip Flop!" The girl crowed, beginning the long trek down the wall. "I told you I was Tyche's favorite!" 

'Flip Flop' did not answer, sitting up slowly and buckling inward, holding his injured arm close to his stomach. 

Eva casted a sympathetic glance at him, her lip jutting out in a pout.

"Better luck next time, Damien." She called out. 

Damien looked up, his eyes watery. 

"My arm's broken...again! αντε πνιξου, Chiara!"

Chiara in turn blew Damien a kiss from her rocky perch.

"Love you too, babe!" 

Crystal glanced back over to Damien, cringing at the awkward angle his arm was currently in. His face was pale, more pale than it had been to begin with, and Crystal was certain that if he bit down any harder than he already was, he'd split his lip. She exchanged a look with Eva.

"Shouldn't we help him?" 

Eva gave a non-committed grunt, turning back to Damien. 

"Nah. Looks like Grover has it covered." 

Crystal watched as a very lanky goat-man, satyr, trotted over to Damien quickly, his face warped with concern. He was followed by Austin, the healer from the Apollo cabin that had inspected Miles, Marty, Jalissa, and herself when they had first gotten to camp. He didn't look all that affected by the nastiness that was Damien's arm and instead had a Garfield-esque expression on his face. If he would have opened his mouth, Crystal was sure he would have said, 'I hate Mondays.' 

As Grover helped carry the groaning Damien away from the action and Austin trailed behind, Crystal felt her stomach sink. Her brother Rudy used to make her sit down and watch the most famous sports injuries with him. He used to get so excited whenever there was an unusual crack or bend while Crystal would gag and turn her head. None of that had even remotely prepared her for that injury. In fact, if she looked hard enough, she thought she could see the glint of a white bone poking through the flesh...

"Eva, can we leave? I mean, get going to another, less violent area of camp, please? It'd be much appreciated."

Eva frowned.

"We can keep moving, but you don't want to see even the tiniest bit of violence?"

"Preferably not."

Eva sighed.

"Well, that crosses out the Ares cabin." She turned her head sharply from side to side so rapidly that Crystal was afraid she'd give herself whiplash. Instead, Eva seemed to find something of interest. Her eyes sparkled and she held out a hand for Crystal to take. "I know the perfect place! Follow me!"

Crystal gulped, but nonetheless followed her sister reluctantly. She was far too polite to scream 'Oh, HADES, no!' and turn tail back to her own, much more calming cabin. So, instead, she took to Eva like a puppy on a leash. 

She supposed things could be worse. Kat could have been giving her the tour instead...

Or Miles...

Crystal shuddered at the thought, though she realized her hands got a bit clammy. She wiped her free hand on her side and hoped Eva would blame it on the heat from the lava wall. 

The duo continued walking with Eva picking up the pace with pep in her step. Her short legs seemed to be capable of only taking hop-skips, but she still managed to drag Crystal behind her. 

"Hurry, Chris! We gotta get there before the races start and I think they're getting ready for one right now! I see Will heading straight towards the track." 

Ah, so we're going to a track... Crystal concluded. That's all fine and dandy as long as there are no acid rain showers or a tsunami to chase us further; all highly possible in this camp. 

A not too crazy looking track was looming in the distance, surrounded by all too high bleachers all the way around. There was already a great number of people gathering in the stands and seemingly placing bets. There were a couple of very tired looking healers standing off to the side and judging by the sheer amount of yawns that erupted from them, Crystal deducted that they were Hypnos campers. 

A few satyrs were conversing with some demigods near the track and it seemed that sign ups for the next race were taking place right now. Crystal watched as Will Solace, the Apollo cabin counselor who was all too pretty for his own good, confidently shook hands with a nervous looking satyr. After the exchange, Will trotted happily over to a pair of stretching competitors. 

"So, what do you say? Want to meet some of our top runners? The race won't be starting for a couple of minutes yet and I can still see a few of the usual winners in the stands yet." 

Crystal looked over to the bleachers and glanced around, looking for some stereotypical scrawny track stars. Instead, her ice blue gaze landed on someone she'd been longing to see since the night before. 

Jake Mason.

The messy brown hair, the warm amber eyes, and the permanent sideways smile affixed on his perfect face. He raised a work worn hand as he returned her gaze and Crystal felt her heart melt and drip down to her shoes. 

"Chris?" 

Crystal waved back daintily at Jake before turning down to Eva. If Jake were in the bleachers, of course she wanted to go there. 

"Uh, yeah, let's go!"

The Iris sisters jogged over to the bleachers and swung over the stands. Eva waved amiably at a group of demigods and they waved back, looking as casual as a group of cats lazing in the sun. The group consisted of a coffee skinned girl with frizzy black hair, a tanned girl with pretty brown hair, and Valentina. Jake, who had been sitting a couple rows higher than the group of girls, hopped down a couple of stairs and slid onto the seat next to Valentina, his eyes never leaving Crystal's face.

"Well, hi there." He greeted, his voice slow and flowing like warm caramel. 

Crystal felt shivers run down her back.

"H-hello... Are you... Uh, participating?" 

Jake's eyebrow lilted up skeptically, giving him a very mischievous look. He folded his arms and drew one of his legs across the other, leaning back against the bleacher behind him lazily. 

"What, you mean the race? Oh, Hephaestus no. I'm a mechanic, not a runner, but I'm flattered really, Princess." 

Crystal blushed, her cheeks dusted pink. She could only hope it wasn't too noticeable. 

"Well, I am," The friendly looking brunette put in, extended a hand towards Crystal and snapping her back to reality. "I'm Miranda Gardiner and this is my half-sister, Katie Gardner," She motioned to the coffee-skinned girl to her left who raised a hand in acknowledgement. "You're Crystal right? Nice to meet you." 

She took Crystal's hand without any further coaxing and shook it firmly. Her hands were a bit rough and Crystal thought that her last name might be fitting. This girl seemed like a green thumb. 

"Y-yeah, that'd be me. Crystal Anderson. Nice to meet you too, and uh, good luck today?" 

Miranda grinned, her bright teeth glittering in the sunlight.

"Well, thanks! I'll need it, trust me. I've only ever beat Solace once and t wasn't easy, let me tell you. He's a tough cookie! Doesn't look it, but don't let his chill, surfer get-up fool you." She glanced from side to side before adding cheekily, "Will does let Nico beat him in the races sometimes though. And when he does, Nico won't let him hear the end of it." 

Crystal giggled, imagining Will's tiny, dark, and mysterious boyfriend going crazy after being allowed to win a race for once. 

"Nice..." 

Katie, who had been quiet thus far, gave Crystal a searching look before speaking up.

"Hey, why don't you sign up for the race too? You look like you could be a runner if you tried."

Miranda's eyes narrowed thoughtfully and she inspected Crystal quickly before nodding.

"I can see that definitely. You've got the legs for it."

Crystal felt her face flare up once again. 

Valentina slugged Miranda in the shoulder, giving Crystal an apologetic look though, Crystal noted, her eyes did flicker down to Crystal's long legs. 

"What? She does." Miranda said matter-of-factly, rubbing her arm gingerly. "You should try out, Crystal. It might make a good first impression on the other racers, especially if you win. Demigods love confidence... And sports... And winning. I mean, don't tell me you don't like the feeling of the wind in your hair."

Crystal rubbed the back of her neck self-consciously, sending an apprehensive look to Eva. But before Eva could even open her mouth to speak, Jake Mason butted it, his voice as smooth as butter.

"I think you should too, Crystal," He clapped a hand onto her shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "I'll bet you could even win if you put your heart to it."

Crystal's mouth opened and closed a few times as she took in each of the demigods' faces in turn. They all seemed to look expectant and a little excited; Miranda especially. 

Well, the coach back in Virginia did say I have potential... 

But I don't want to make a fool out of myself on the second day! Especially by running.

Crystal gave Jake Mason one last torn look and watched as his side smirk grew into a genuine smile. 

Eva poked her older sister in the side curiously, sending her a questioning gaze.

"So, you gonna do it or not?" She asked. 

Crystal's brow furrowed with determination and a smile curled up her own lips as she turned back to face her new friends. 

"What could hurt in trying?" 

The demigods' faces brightened. Miranda's green eyes sparkled with newfound excitement and competition. She rose from her seat with a jump and interlocked her fingers through Crystal's.

"Then let's get you signed up! Time's a wasting and I can't wait to see you run!"

"Good luck to both of you." Katie put in politely, giving her sister a shy grin. 

Valentina nodded, laying across Katie's lap casually and giving Crystal a thumbs-up. She seemed to be exhausted from last night's campfire. 

Jake simply dipped his head, eyes closed as he grinned. 

Miranda began to drag Crystal (with Eva trailing behind like a puppy without a leash) down to the sign ups. The satyrs appeared to be putting away their clipboards and pens and Crystal felt her heart drop. 

Had she really missed her only chance to prove herself? 

"Hey, Woodrow! We're not too late for a last minute sign up, are we?" Miranda asked, pointing her finger directly at a freckle-covered satyr in boy scouts attire, complete with an ascot and everything. He was somehow wearing a fishing hat over his horns, and Crystal decided not to ask how. 

Woodrow's forest green eyes shifted awkwardly around and he refused to meet anyone's gazes. One of his cloven hooves was tapping rapidly on the ground.

"Ah, you a-already signed up, remember Miranda?" 

Miranda blew a puff of air out of her mouth. 

"Pfft, not for me, you furry dork. Crystal wants to enter, don't you, Crystal?"

Crystal looked at Woodrow and tried to look more confident than she felt. 

"Y-yes, if possible..." 

Woodrow chewed on his bottom lip anxiously, his eyes darting down to look at the clipboard he'd pulled out of only the gods knew where. He tapped a pen on the clipboard for a few seconds, his eyes scanning the paper before he nodded quickly.

"Y-yeah, there's one last spot open. L-lucky you, huh? I should be able to fill you in here and y-you're set!"

Miranda grinned her toothy smile while Crystal blinked appreciatively. 

"Thank you... Woodrow..." Crystal acknowledged, testing out his name carefully. Woodrow simply let out a quiet 'eep!' and trotted away to his satyr buddies to pass on the news of the new competitor. 

Miranda turned back to Crystal, looking excited. 

"That's great! Can't wait to race with you. You want to come stretch with me? It'll help, I promise." 

Crystal glanced past her bouncy friend and happened to spot Jake Mason in the bleachers, watching her with interest. His amber eyes were narrowed and he looked to be concentrating. Crystal felt the telltale start of a panic attack building in her chest as her breath began to quicken.

Her fleeting camp crush was going to be watching her run this race. He was going to see her every move. If she lost, he'd see that. He'd see it all. 

Oh gods, Crystal thought, What if I trip? What if I puke? What if I look weird when I run? If I quit now he'll think I'm a coward, but if I do run it and mess up, he' ll think I'm a loser and never want to hang out with me again much less kiss me. Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods... Why did I do this to myself?! 

"Crystal, are you okay?" 

Eva's soft voice startled Crystal and she jumped to see her tiny sister blinking up at her with her intense yellow eyes. They were almost reminscent of owl eyes and Crystal felt herself well up with even more worry.

Great, now my half-owl sibling is going to watch me fail too. Just great.

"N-not really... I'm... Nervous..." Crystal admonished, brushing her ebony hair out of her face and rapidly finger-combing through it. "I've never actually... Ran in a race b-before?" 

Eva rolled her eyes which was not reassuring in the slightest.

"Loosen up, Chris. Everyone gets nervous the first time they do anything. I mean, if you went up to Will right now, he'd probably admit to pre-race jitters too and he's been running them since he first got here so I've heard. I bet even Holly and Laurel get nervous sometimes and they love competing in things. And with each other..." Eva shook her head and focused her gaze up at Crystal again. "Look, point is that whether you lose or win, me and all the others will still respect the fact that you tried. And personally, I agree with Jake. I think you can win. You just have to believe in yourself, okay?" 

Crystal rolled her shoulders back slowly and took a deep breath, exhaling deeply. She turned to the track nearby and imagined herself coming in first. The other competitors would grudgingly admit that she had bested them. Her friends would stand up and cheer in the stands. Eva would yell 'That's my sister!' and Jake would pull her into his arms and kiss her passionately. 

All she had to do was win. 

Crystal nodded her head, her eyebrows narrowing. Her lips pulled up in a determined grin and she placed a hand on Eva's shoulder. 

"You know what? You're right. I can do this,' She leaned forward and pressed a kiss on Eva's cheek. "Thanks, Sis." 

Eva beamed right back up at her. 

"No problem, Chris. Now you get ready for the race. I'm going to go get a seat and place some bets before the stands get too rowdy." She looked both ways before leaning in and cupping her hand around her mouth. "Don't tell anyone, but I'm betting for you." 

Crystal felt her smile grow larger and her cheeks almost began to hurt. She placed a matching kiss on her sister's other cheek and then ushered her to the stands. She watched the silver haired girl skip away happily before turning back to the track and bending down to touch her toes. 

"Just stretch. Loosen up and you'll do fine," Crystal hummed to herself. 

She went through a few more routine stretches, flexing and bending her legs as far as she could in different positions. Around halfway through her workout session, she felt the heat of a glare on her back. She finished up her calf raises and swiveled on her heel to see a lanky brown-haired boy with surprisingly muscular arms, and a thin girly with short blonde hair. 

The brown-haired boy had an approving look on his face, but the girl's golden eyes were narrowed with distaste. The look on her face was anything but friendly and as Crystal made eye contact, the blonde's eyes closed. She held her head high and crossed her arms while the boy circled Crystal like a shark with a school of fish. Crystal could almost imagine a shark's fin protruding from his abnormally scarred back. 

The boy let out a drawn out wolf whistle, sizing Crystal up like a prize winning pig. The ebony haired female felt her cheeks redden and she cleared her throat pointedly. 

The pervert drew back, sidling up near the blonde and giving Crystal a flirty gaze through half-lidded eyes. That happened to be easy for him to do as his right eye was swollen and purple. Crystal could only imagine why anyone would want to hit him. In fact, she felt her own fist clenching and unclenching. 

"Damn, you're not half-bad looking, you know? I'm looking forward to seeing you run." The boy purred, running a hand through his greasy hair in an attempt to look coy. Instead, he looked like he was due for haircut and possibly a shower. Crystal was half-tempted to say, 'Excuse me, but I believe you're looking for a beautician. I'd try the Aphrodite cabin if I were you,' but she was all too polite to go through with it. 

A scoff erupted from the blonde who was still refusing to look at either of them. Crystal noted that she had very sharp facial features, almost as if they had been cut out of glass. Her nose also resembled a bird's beak. Crystal decided the bratty look fit her. 

"Oh, come on, Mark. Just because she's good looking doesn't mean she is capable of beating me or the others for that matter," One of her honey gold eyes popped open and she sent Crystal a conceited look. "You do know what you're up against, right? The Nike twins, Miranda Gardiner, Will Solace, and me, Victoria. You stand no chance, newbie." 

Victoria took a threatening step forward and prodded her finger into Crystal's chest. Crystal felt her heart quickened and she looked around to see anything but Victoria's horrible glare. Her searching eyes slowly landed on a familiar face in the crowd with messy brown hair, amber eyes, and a sideways smirk. His lips spread into a smile as she met his eyes, and he sent her a single thumbs-up...

And that was all it took.

Crystal shoved Victoria off of her and delighted in watching her stumbled back a few steps in surprise. Even Mark's lazy eyes widened a bit. Crystal forced herself to glare at Victoria, deep into the golden orbs that belonged to the other girl and with a hardened voice, she spoke. 

"That's what you think. I'll show you; both of you." 

And with that, Woodrow shakily patted down to the start of the track, raising a hand for attention.

"W-would all the racers please get in line? The r-race is about to begin!" He announced in a wavering voice. He finished off with a loud 'blaaa-aaa!' and covered his mouth in embarrassment.

Victoria, having collected herself, narrowed her eyes. She shoved Mark towards the stands and stomped over to the line. Crystal followed, lagging behind as far as she could, but not because she was scared. She simply did not wish to catch whatever disease Victoria had that made her so nasty. 

Sauntering into the last lane available, Crystal inspected the other racers to her left.

Miranda was bouncing on her heels, her green eyes lit up with anticipation. The Nike twins were arguing over a lane. Will was doing some last minute stretching, his gaze occasionally flickering to the stands to look at his boyfriend for motivation. Nico, who was seated on the bleachers next to a blonde boy with cropped hair and a pair of brown glasses upon his face, was grinning ear to ear. It was a little unnerving. 

Victoria had claimed the spot next to Will. As they stood side by side, Crystal came to the horrifying conclusion that they were, in fact, related. Or, at least, they looked like it. Their facial features were entirely different (Will was actually attractive), but they had the same tanned skin, blonde hair, and skin that appeared to soak in the sunlight. 

Crystal could not wrap her head around the fact that they were half-siblings. How could someone so brave and compassionate be related to someone so rude? 

I am related to Kat, Crystal countered before nodding to herself in agreement. They must be friends. 

Woodrow attempted to speak, but another bleat erupted from his mouth. He tried again and again, but to no avail. Finally, a short and stocky satyr wearing a baseball cap and holding a chunky baby satyr shoved him out of the way and held up a megaphone. When he pushed the button to begin speaking into it, a very loud 'The cow goes moo!' roared from it. Though it wasn't exactly meaningful, it happened to get the chattering demigods in the stands to listen. 

"Alright everyone, the race is about to begin! Stands, are you ready?!"

A resounding 'Yeah!' rumbled from the stands and Crystal nearly plugged her ears from the sheer amount of loudness that a few demigods could produce. 

"Racers, are you ready?!" 

"Yeah!" The racers cried though Crystal noticed that Miranda put her own spin on it. 

"Oh Hades yeah!"

The grouchy looking satyr turned to Miranda with a scowl.

"Watch your profanity, cupcake!" His frown turned into a smile though as the toddler in his arms began to grab at the stray clumps of hair the peeked out from under his baseball cap. "Chuck, are you ready?!" 

"Blaaaa-aaa!" The baby satyr cried, waving his pudgy fists in the hair.

"I'll take that as a yes! Racers, on your marks!" 

The racers all crouched, their hands on the track and their legs bent at ready. Crystal followed suit in a clumsy manner. 

"Get set!" 

The racers collectively raised their rears higher in the air and leaned forward earning a whoop of approval from Mark in the stands. It was cut off though as Nico stood up and glared at him. The look said 'Mine' and Mark got the hint, remaining quiet instead. 

Crystal felt sweat beginning to form on her forehead. There was no turning back now. Any second now, the satyr would say the fateful word and she's had to run. Gods, she'd have to run. 

"Go!" 

And with that, Crystal and the other launched themselves forward and they were off. 

The tapping of the runners' sneakers on the track was drowned out by the crazy cheering in the stands. Every racer had at least five people cheering their name and Crystal felt her pulse quicken as her name joined the chants. 

"Crystal! Crystal! Crystal!" 

As Crystal rounded a turn, she realized that she was keeping up with all of the others so far. She was behind them all, but not too far behind. Will and Laurel, one of the twins, were in the lead. Laurel was laughing manically as the thrill of the run hit her squarely in the chest while her sister pushed herself to go faster and beat her. Miranda panted much like a dog, her slender legs taking up the space in front of her quickly; a smile was on her face. 

Victoria the closest to Crystal and she consistently glanced back at Crystal and pushed herself to go faster. Crystal silently willed her legs to carry her quicker across the track. 

Her strides grew further apart and Crystal watched out of the corner of her eye as Victoria began to slide behind her. Victoria let out a choked gasp, and pushed herself even harder, jostling Crystal sharply. Crystal nearly tripped over her own footing, but not before she raced out of Victoria's reach. She steadied her steps as she watched Victoria slowly fade behind her. 

Crystal's heart thudded in her chest. Her legs burned and she swallowed her spit every few seconds, but she felt alive. The breeze swept through her ebony hair, sending it wavering through the air like the flag of an approaching enemy. Her leather necklace swung against her chest to the beat of her pulse and she felt the bottom of her shoes burn against the ground.

Crystal rounded another turn and realized that she'd completed a lap. She'd also gained even more speed and had come alongside with Holly. Holly huffed and tried to keep up with Crystal, but she simply couldn't do it, falling back just as Victoria had. 

"Woo-hoo! Go Crystal!" Eva crowed from the stands. But Crystal could not risk casting her a look. All of her focus was set on this race. 

Another turn.

Crystal set her gaze to the track and sidled up to Miranda whose eyes were crazy with exhilaration. She sent Crystal an the quickest acknowledging look she could muster and kept her steady speed. 

Gods, is she ever fast, Crystal thought. I'll never be able to pass her. 

As the two girls leveled out, side by side, Crystal remembered that she was indeed keeping up with Miranda at this point in time. If she could keep up, then she could also go even faster. 

Lowering her head and leaning forward, Crystal put on a burst of speed and bolted past a very surprised Miranda. Crystal thought she heard a wheezy cheer from her beaten competitor, but she didn't dare look back. 

Another turn. 

Crystal could feel her chest begin to clench and her legs felt like jello; Crystal felt like she could buckle over at anytime. Sweat pooled down her forehead and her throat burned as she heaved for breath. 

I don't think I can go much longer, Crystal thought worriedly. 

She was exhausted. 

In the distance, she could see the forms of Will and Laurel trading places again and again from first to second to first again as if they couldn't make up their minds. 

I've already run two laps and if this is anything like the school system back home, we run three. That means this is my last lap!

Crystal found motivation in this and, steeling herself with promises of guava juice and relaxation later, she pressed onward with another burst of speed. 

A sea of cheering erupted in the stands, but she couldn't hear them. All she could hear was the sound of her heart pounding in her chest. Her feet were hitting the ground harder now and she zoomed across the track, surpassing a very exhausted looking Will Solace who was beginning to lag behind. He looked up in surprise as she raced past him and began to graze the edges of Laurel's heels. 

Laurel turned her head only slightly to see Crystal and tried to go faster, but try as she might, she just couldn't do it. As the racers reached another turn, Crystal darted past Laurel and took in a stinging breath as she realized she was now in first place. 

I'm doing this! I'm doing this! I'm winning, Crystal thought excitedly. 

She sucked in air through her nose and exhaled gravelly breaths threw her mouth as she kept going. In the distance of her blurring vision, Crystal could pick out the line where she'd started. She was only a couple of meters away. She could almost taste the victory on her tongue. 

Jake Mason's lips, here I come! 

But as she rounded the last corner, she heard sharp, pained breathing behind her and before she knew what was happening, Laurel sped past her. 

Crystal could almost feel her heart break as Laurel's sneaker-clad foot cross the line and the stands erupted in applause. She crossed the line and slowed to a jog before stopping completely, bending over and heaving for breath as the other racers eventually finished and began walking back to the stands or what appeared to be a make-shift set of locker rooms to the side. 

Holly hobbled over to the sleepy healers on stand by who snapped fingers under each other's noses to wake themselves. Crystal hadn't noticed it in the race, but Holly was limping heavily. She'd probably rolled her ankle near the beginning of the race which was why she'd been a lot slower than Crystal had anticipated. 

Great. She probably would have beaten me if she wouldn't have hurt herself. And I didn't even notice she was hurt. Gods, am I ever a mess-up.

Crystal's wobbly legs began to lead her to the stands where her friends were starting to climb down. Miranda was already chatting with her half-sister without a care in the world. She didn't seem to notice that she had lost. 

Eva noticed Crystal first, waving excitedly and ushering for Crystal to join her. Valentina picked up on the hint and also waved, whistling and grinning widely. 

As Crystal joined the group, she leaned heavily on Eva who wrapped her side in a hug. She felt her sister's face pressed against her, but all she could feel was hollowness. Like she could have done better. 

Things were not going as she had planned.

"Crystal, you did great! I knew you had the legs for it! Speaking of legs, how are they? Did you stretch well enough? You'll probably be feeling that in the morning judging by how fast you were running. Ouch!" Miranda chirped, wiping her sweat-plastered hair away from her face. 

"Yeah, that was awesome! I've never seen anyone put on speed like that so quick! You have tons of potential to win next time!" Katie agreed.

Potential... That's all I'll ever have... Crystal though mournfully.

Valentina nodded. "I think you ticked Victoria off though," She put in with a giggle. 

Crystal just shrugged, sending Valentina a half-hearted smile before drooping her head.

The group was quiet for a few moments, giving her worried looks before some heavy footsteps sounded from higher up on the bleachers. Crystal didn't look up, immediately assuming that the owner of the steps was just going to pass by her and be on their way. Instead, she felt a hand cup her sweaty chin and gently lift her face upwards before pulling away. 

"Hey there, Princess."

Crystal's heart skipped a beat which she figured was not healthy. It was already pounding from the overexertion of the race and now, she figured it might just stop altogether. 

"How was your first race? I mean, I know you did well obviously, but how are you feeling? You sore? You tired? You still living through some runner's high or something?" 

Crystal let his rumbling voice occupy her thoughts and for a second, she lingered on them. After a few moment of silence, she figured she'd better answer.

"Yes..." 

"Yes?" Jake asked, cocking an eyebrow and sending her that sideways smile of his.

"I mean, yes to all of the above. I'm sore, tired and high. Wait, scratch that. I'm not high, I promise." 

Jake chuckled and Crystal was glad that her cheeks were already flushed to cover up the blush. 

"Whatever you say, Princess. Good job by the way. That was great. I fought my way to the top of the bleachers just to see you sprint like that."

Crystal ducked her head a little further. 

"That means you had a better view of me losing to Laurel, huh?" 

Jake sent Crystal a sympathetic glance before his eyes narrowed and he clasped a firm hand on Crystal's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. She looked back up at him, hoping there would be more physical contact to come like a 'better luck next time' kiss. 

"Hey, don't be upset. You really did do good, great even. You beat Will and Miranda on your first race and that's amazing," He smiled warmly and gave her shoulder another squeeze. "You're amazing."

Though Crystal thought it was near impossible, her face reddened even more. 

Jake lingered with his hand on Crystal's shoulder for another while and for just a fleeting second, Crystal thought his eyes had idled on her lips. Unfortunately, he brought his gaze up and backed up the slightest in the end. 

"Well, it was nice to see you get out there like that, especially when you passed Victoria. I never liked that girl to be honest. Anyways, I can't stick around. I promised Nyssa that I'd help her teach Harley how to forge properly since he trends to go a bit crazy, but hey, I'll be looking you for you around camp from now on," He paused, tapping his chin before taking another step closer to Crystal and bring his hand up to Crystal's face. He gently brushed away some of her windswept hair from her forehead and then stepped back to admire his work. "In fact, why don't you meet me near the lake sometime? I can show you where the naiads keep their shiny shells."

Crystal fumbled for words. 

"Uh, uh... Y-yeah, that sounds good! Great!"

That smirk again.

"Good. How's about next Wednesday? I think I've scheduled myself to be 'sick' that day and therefore unable to do anything but relax with pretty girls. Sound good?"

Crystal swallowed her spit quickly and nodded before she even knew she was doing it. 

"Nice. See you later, Princess. And don't forget to get yourself some refreshments. You've earned it."

And with that, Jake hopped down the bleachers and disappeared towards the cabins. 

At the mention of refreshments (and the sight of Jake's departing rear) Crystal noticed how dry her throat was. Dry was an understatement. She was not thirsty, she was parched. Turning to face her friends, she noted that they all wore a similar face of coyness. 

"What?" She managed, her voice sounding like broken glass.

Valentina broke the silence first, squishing her own cheeks together with excitement. 

"Oooh, please tell me you two are dating! If you aren't then you totally should be! You two are officially the new cutest item to exist," She paused, mulling over her words for a second before starting up again, "Well, I mean, second to me and Paolo, of course," She giggled with flustered longing.

Crystal shook her head from side to side reluctantly though every cell in her body told her to say that she was indeed dating that Hephaestus hunk. 

"Not dating," She managed. "I wish."

Valentina tapped her cheek thoughtfully, her eyes looking up to the sky. 

"Weren't you two couple dancing while I was singing last night though? If both of you are two shy to initiate the first move to couplehood, then I could probably pull some strings for you if you wanted. I know this old Aphrodite spell, okay, more likee curse, that makes anyone who likes you romantically call you 'Sweetheart' whenever they're near you. That could be a surefire way for him to get the hint," Valentina's scarlet lips curled into a Cheshire Cat's grin. "It doesn't seem like you need any ushering though. Jake looks to be going in for the kill. You just need a little nudge is all. You want to come look at some of my dresses for your big date? I could probably convince Mitchell to help you go on a faux date if you're nervous too!" 

Crystal held up her hands defensively, taking a tiny step back.

Frankly, Aprodite kids on the subject of love terrified her more than Peleus the dragon sometimes. 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up," She interjected. "I don't want to be jumping to any conclusions too soon. This could all be platonic for all I know. I don't want to get my hopes up and over prepare for something if it isn't going to be worth it." 

Valentina put a hand on her hip and jutted it out sharply with a skeptical look on her face.

"Seriously? He likes you Crystal; it's obvious. You just have to stop being so modest. You're pretty, sweet from what I've seen, and obviously pretty athletic. You've got it all going for you. Now you just need some confidence. And I can do that."

Crystal felt very overwhelmed and stuttered on her words for a moment before Eva grabbed her sweaty hand and gave it a gentle tug.

"Alright, alright, let's tone it down, you two. Crystal, I think we should get you a drink and chill out at the cabin for awhile. What do you think?"

Crystal puffed out a sigh of relief, nodding down at Eva thankfully.

"Yes, that sounds great right about now. I'd kill for some guava juice."

"Well, it was fun racing you, Crystal! Make sure to join us again some other time!" Miranda said, reminding Crystal that she and Katie had just witnessed all of that. "And drink some guava juice for me too, y'hear?"

She and Katie stood up, and with a wave, they departed to the locker rooms where Nico and Will were arguing with Mark outside. 

"Well then, let's get going." Eva chirped, pulling her sister towards the cabins. Before they could make it very far though, Crystal heard her name being called. Turning on her heel, she spotted Victoria standing near the edge of the bleachers. Her short blonde hair was wet like she'd showered recently and she was wearing a new Camp Halfblood shirt.

"You coming, Chris?" Eva questioned, blinking up at Crystal with those owl eyes of hers.

Crystal hesitated, looking back to Victoria and back again. Finally, she made up her mind. She would not be seen as a coward in front of Victoria. Crystal was not scared of Victoria and would not allow her to think that. 

"Yeah, just hold on a sec, Eva. Wait here for me. I'll be right back."

Eva began to protest, but Crystal jogged on her tired legs towards the bird-beaked blonde anyways. As she approached her competitor, she held her head high and squared her shoulders.

"What do you want?" 

Victoria looked taken aback by the initial hostility before closing her eyes and turning her head with a scoff and a smirk. 

"Jeez, no need to be so aggressive. I just wanted to say that," She paused as if the next words pained her greatly. "You're pretty good at this running stuff. And I'm... Impressed," She stopped again and her eyebrows narrowed. Her golden eyes flickered open again and she glared at Crystal intensely. "But you can bet that I'll be training from here on out. I will beat you someday, Crystal. Am I clear?" 

Crystal rolled her eyes, but did find herself smiling just the tiniest bit out of pride. 

"Crystal," Crystal stated smoothly. 

Victoria snorted and shook her head, finally turning the opposite direction and walking away. 

Crystal watched her depart for awhile before shaking her own head and jogging back over to Eva. The tiny girl gave her a questioning look as they began walking again. 

"What was that all about?"

Crystal chucked quietly. 

"Oh nothing, nothing. I've just made my first nemesis is all." 

Eva raised an eyebrow, and gave her sister a spry look.

"Already?"

Crystal laughed louder now, slugging Eva good naturedly. Eva returned the gesture and they kept walking. As they reached the exit of the stands, Crystal heard a cough in the bleachers. She turned out of curiously and her gaze surveyed the seats for the source of the noise. 

Sitting in the stop row of the bleachers was Miles McNamara. Her hazel eyes were locked on Crystal as she flipped a golden drachma in her hand over and over again. 

Crystal dropped her gaze immediately, turning her head and continuing to follow her oblivious half-sister. However, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was still being watched. As she left the track with finality, she couldn't resist it any longer. She glanced over her shoulder and met those hazel eyes again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUCK YES CRYSTAL SLAY I LOVE YOU   
> also, I think the most typed word in this chapter was smiled because what the hell is another good word for that


	8. Chapter 8 'Marty Becomes a Therapist'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marty gets to hear Clovis's entire tragic backstory.

Marty 

This morning had not been kind to Marty. He'd woken up to embarrassingly wet sheets and his hand in a bowl of warm water to which he owed to his siblings. While he'd been taking a shower to clean himself up, Mark had turned the water on the coldest setting. Maxine had kindly taken his sheets to be washed, but that had left no one to watch Marty's bunk. Courtney had taken it over almost immediately and refused to move for any reason at all. All the while, Mark had also stolen Marty's camp outfit that Sherman had left for him. It had taken a solid hour to get them off of the roof without falling into the barbed wire and all the while, Marty had been in only a towel. 

When Marty heard a horn sound outside to cue the demigods for breakfast, he was almost too relieved to leave his new dwelling. He'd quickly gotten dressed and raced away from his garishly red cabin and to the pavilion. Unfortunately, Darla and Marianne had been waiting for him and immediately took him up in a chase. 

Marty had been less afraid of Peleus the golden dragon then he had been of those two girls. His heart pounding and his short legs carrying him as fast as he could to the pavilion, he thought he had caught a glimpse of what Tartarus was like. 

Luckily for him, Jalissa and Miles had been there to save the day. Recovering from his mini heart attack, he'd joined his two friends for breakfast. Two had quickly become five when Lou Ellen, Clovis, and Crystal followed suit. The group of kids had discussed their first night at camp before slowly beginning to flake off and go their own separate ways. 

Miles had gone to magic training with Lou Ellen. Crystal went with her younger sister for a tour. That had left Jalissa, Marty, and Clovis. Marty had been alright with this occurrence. Jalissa was quiet and tame and she gave him someone else to look at besides him (though his eyes did wander). Unfortunately though, even Jalissa abandoned ship and went to dump her tray in the fire. 

Marty was left alone with Clovis. 

However, the awkward situation did not last long before Clovis stood up, offering to take Marty's tray to the fire as well. Before Marty could have said anything, Clovis glanced down and the symbol on the tablecloth beneath him caught his eye.

Clovis came off as a very relaxed and calm guy, never one to get too excitable or upset, so when his pretty blue eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and his chest began to heave intensely, Marty understood true fear. 

"C-Clovis, are you okay?" Marty asked, twitching nervously as he stood up from the bench beneath him. 

Clovis looked anything but okay. He did not respond and instead began to back away from the table. Marty could hear his breath wheezing shakily and if there were ever a first sign to a panic attack, that was it. 

Ignoring all morals known to Marty-kind, the smaller boy walked over to Clovis, extending a pale hand to him. 

Clovis turned his head only slightly at the hint of movement and dipped his head as his eyes met Marty's. He reached for Marty's hand, interlocking his fingers between them and immediately beginning to lead Marty away from the table. Marty simply followed, figuring that getting away from that eerie closed eye symbol that had started all of this mess would be beneficial to both of their mental healths. The two boys' discarded trays still lay where they had left them. 

Marty's eyes searched for where Clovis could be leading him and noticed the the lake was growing closer and closer. The son of Ares was a good swimmer, but he had no idea why someone like Clovis would want to wade in the shallows at the moment. He decided not to ask questions and follow like a good friend would. 

His sock-and-sandal clad feet padded carefully across soft sand as Clovis led him to an area in the sunlight, away from the pavilion and out of sight of other campers. The blonde sat down quickly, dropping Marty's hand and wrapping his arms around his knees. He rocked back and forth only slightly and Marty felt his eyebrows lower in concern. 

Marty chose a seat next to Clovis; close, but not to close. He examined Clovis's face and felt a stab of pain in his own heart at the fear and betrayal in those beautiful blue eyes. Marty couldn't handle it anymore. He looked away and out across the sparkling blue lake. 

The water glimmered in the sunlight and the faint squawking of seagulls sounded form the sky. Pretty, pastel seashells washed up along the shore with the gentle waves. Pretty girls with water sodden hair and turquoise skin splashed in the shallows, giggling and twirling their hair. Marty remembered them from his history class back at school; they were naiads. Graceful and gorgeous beings, they searched the water for pretty and shiny things to adorn themselves with.

"Marty... Do you... Think I'm a bad guy?"

Marty flinched at the unexpected sound of Clovis's now gravelly voice. He turned his head back to his friend to see that he had seemingly calmed down more than he had been. Unfortunately, the panic in his gaze was now replaced with wistful sadness. In fact, the head counselor wasn't even looking at Marty a he spoke to him. He looked out into the distance with half-lidded eyes.

"Why would I think that?" Marty asked in bewilderment. For the very small time that Marty had known Clovis, the blonde had shown him nothing but kindness and compassion. Yet here he was, asking Marty if he was the bad guy here. It simply did not make sense. 

A long, gusty sigh escaped Clovis's parted lips and his eyebrows furrowed. "There's... A lot you don't know about me..." 

Marty could feel the suffering of the past in the older boy's voice and suddenly, the only thing he wanted to do was take it away. If he could help, he wanted to. No one deserved to be this sad. 

Giving Clovis his full attention, his mentally urged Clovis to explain; why he could be the bad guy, why he was scared of the closed eye symbol, and why he was scared of himself. 

Clovis needed no further pushing. 

"It all started sixteen years ago..."

\--------------------------------------------------------

I was born a child of the god of sleep, Hypnos. Being the son of a minor god, growing up was tough. My mother and I were constantly being forced to fend off monsters and move from town to town because no where was safe for us. We could trust no one because anyone could be a monster in disguise, trying to hurt us or worse. 

I was born in Montpellier, France. Only five months of my life were spent in France and it was never in any specific place. We moved nearly every week from house to house to car to alleyways and hotels. There was never truly any stability there. Of course, I was little then and couldn't even speak nor walk yet. I can't remember anything about France, not a single thing if I'm honest. Almost all of the time I spent there, I was sleeping or unaware of the world around me. 

Fortunately though, after those five months of doing odd jobs, my mother had collected the funds for us to finally move to America, the land of the free. She thought with the hustle and bustle of New York, where we resided in, it would be enough to hide us from the monsters and people out to hurt us. We lived in Manhattan then in an unofficial home for people without a home. That was the only way we could survive out there. Mom was very fearful of other people though and kept me hidden away in her makeshift room, never to leave without her permission that was never given. 

Because of this, I could not speak English, only French. Mom was the only one who'd speak to me and she'd bring me food every day and little odds and ends to play with. No one in the house knew my mother had a child as she kept me a well-hidden secret. This might have been near impossible if her child wasn't so sleepy. I was almost always fast asleep so she never had to fear me crying or screaming while she was out working or gathering stuff for us. 

When I turned three, my mother immediately enrolled me in American education. I caught on quickly to what the other kids were doing and English became just as easy for me to speak with time as French was. I'd slip up or mix in French here or there, but people could understand me for the most part. School wasn't that hard. Unfortunately though, I had the tendency to fall asleep in class a lot. So much, in fact, that the school nurse grew very worried about me and ordered a meeting with the principal and my mother. 

My mom showed up to the meeting after I told her about it in her native tongue. However, once we got to the meeting, I passed out and she couldn't understand a word. Though I was sleeping, I could hear every word. 

My principal and my mother were on rough waters, neither of them understanding a word of what was being said. In fact, the principal got so frustrated with my mom that he ended up leaving the meeting prematurely and letting the nurse take over. 

Luckily for Mom, the nurse was more understanding. She sympathized with the distressed, single mother of a troubled child and, using god awful drawings and hand motions, suggested that my mother put me to bed earlier at home. My mother agreed and the meeting ended with me being carried home and put to bed at seven o'clock. I didn't argue. 

No matter what my poor mom tried though, I would still fall asleep during class. I tried so hard to stay awake for her, but I just couldn't. It was near impossible. I'd feel sick if I resisted the urge to nod off which was ultimately worse so I always gave in. 

Over time, the constant sleeping affected my ability to learn and I began to slowly fall behind all of the other children. I'd miss lesson upon lesson and could not write nor read as well as the others. 

The nurse noticed this and wrote two words on a piece of paper for me to give to my mother. 'Narcolepsy' and 'Lethargy'. I had no idea what those big words meant, but over time, I began to understand that they meant me. 

Using my somewhat limited, now four year old vocabulary, I translated a message from the nurse to my mother. 'Clovis is a very smart boy, but I believe that he has 'nar-co-lep-sy' or 'leth-ar-gy' which makes it hard for him to keep up with the other children. He is clever, but he isn't given as much waking time to study and learn the 'con-cept'. This school isn't for him.' 

At the time, I was just reading words. I didn't understand what they meant. The only words I understood were 'smart', 'boy', and my own name. Unfortunately though, this note meant that the principal had decided to cut me from the school program. I was no longer attending to school suddenly and I was confused and said. I wanted to learn and my mother knew it. She wanted me to learn too for the both of us. So school after school I enrolled in, trying to get me a suitable and affordable teaching program. 

We had no luck though. We simply got the same prognosis over time and eventually, Mom no longer had the money to keep me in school anymore. It simply wasn't worth it. She made the tough decision to take me out of school.

I don't remember a lot from that day except that I cried and cried, wondering why the other kids could learn and I couldn't. 

That was the breaking point for my mother. Never in my rough life and young age had I cried before and now here I was, tears flooding down my cheeks because I was different. 

My mother prayed to my father that night. She asked for his guidance and help. That same night, as the two of us slept in a downtown movie theater, my mother dreamed of a beautiful safe haven for her son called Camp Half Blood. It was everything she could have asked for from dazzling cabins to a magical barrier to keep monsters out. And lucky for us, it wasn't too far from were we were either. She could visit me whenever she desired. 

Bright and early in the morning, my mother woke me up through trial and error, and filled me head with the promise of a new life. A good life. I was just excited as she was, but the trip was too long for my tiny legs and narcolepsy to handle. I fell asleep after walking one tiny block and my mother diligently carried me the rest of the way, finding sympathetic taxi drivers along the way to help. 

When we finally arrived at Camp Half Blood, my mother, having seen Camp Half Blood in her dreams and having always been able to see through the Mist, was able to pass through the magical barrier. She's one of the only mortals to have been able to do so with ease. 

In any case, she ignored the stares of the sleepy demigods around her and waltzed right up to the Big House. She was ushered to Chiron's office right away by some local satyrs and once there, she broke down. She pleaded with Chiron forever, sobbing and crying about her baby not being safe and how she can't do it anymore. She asked him to please take me in, but no matter how she asked and begged, Chiron declined. 

He told her that minor gods were not welcome in the camp and how I was too young anyways. 

My mother simply motioned to me as I toddled around the Big House on pudgy legs. I wasn't all that interested in the conversation, having found Seymour on the wall. I was petting him and the leopard began to purr, falling asleep in the gentle touch as my powers worked through him. I had laid my head on his and decided then and there that this strange live leopard head was my new sleep-thing. 

Chiron, who had been watching me intently, simply shook his head, looking grimly at my mother. 

It was then as I was drifting off when I heard those fateful words that shook my mother to the core.

"I'm sorry, Camile, but we can't take him in." 

My eyes closed and I felt my body getting lifted into the air as my broken mother picked me up to go home. 

I slept the whole way to the movie theater. Unfortunately though, while we had been gone, Colchis bulls had torched the theater. Firetrucks were lined up and down the street. It was in ruins. 

Once everyone had left, we salvaged what little things we could, including some blankets stashed in the far back. It was dangerous work, but necessary. 

That left my mother and I without a home once again in our lives. We took to an alley across town and set up a makeshift living space using discarded things such as more blankets and tarps. It was all we had.

I just remember mother holding me in her lap and stroking my hair as she rocked me back and forth to the sound of the cars driving on the streets. She kept cooing to me how I was different and a special boy, a good boy. She lulled me back to sleep and I remember dreaming of my father saying one single sentence over and over again. 

'I'm sorry.'

Over time, I got older and hungry for more information. I hated being in the dark, being slow and unable to teach. Around this time, Mom was working more odd jobs than she ever had before all over the state from dawn until dusk. Being older now and able to control my fatal flaw of laziness much better, I began to explore more. I found a nearby library and I was captivated by all of the books and words galore. I took to it immediately, visiting the library every day to read. It was challenging in many ways from my dyslexia, to my bilingualism, and most of all, my narcolepsy, but I liked the challenge and I loved to learn. These books opened new worlds for me to get lost in and forget the real world. I loved them.

Mom didn't like me going around town alone, but she realy couldn't tell me no. She had been taking more odd jobs than she ever had before in order to try to get us a home and off the streets, meaning that she could be found all over town from dawn until dusk. I took complete advantage of this to go on my daily travels to the library and for the first time in my life, I was truly content with myself. 

On on of my journeys though, I bumped into a tall, spiky haired, white-blonde man with stubble along his jaw and the prettiest ice blue eyes I'd ever seen before. Being a pudgy kid, I knocked him back a bit and he was clearly agitated by this. 

"Watch where you're going you-" But then he broke off abruptly. He cut a glimpse of my eyes and noticed that they matched his own so closely, too closely... 

"Je suis désolé ! I was daydreaming again!" I apologized frantically. This was the first time in forever that I'd spoken to anyone other than the librarians or my own mother and I was mortified at my own stupidity. 

Almost immediately, the man's demeanor changed. There was a warmness to him and I suddenly felt the tiniest bit more relaxed. This man seemed like an understanding person. Perhaps he'd forgive me. 

"Hey, it's alright, kid. Everyone makes mistakes," He paused, rubbing his jaw as he took in my appearance, circling around me like a lazy shark. "Say, I don't think I've seen you around this part of Manhattan before. What's your name, little guy?" 

I blinked up at him, suddenly feeling shy as I remembered a very important lesson my mother had taught me as soon as I'd learned how to walk. 

"Je suis- I-I'm soory. Ma mère told me to never speak to strangers." 

The man simply chuckled, cocking an eyebrow at me. 

"Strangers?" Kid, you make me laugh. I'm no stranger. I'm your brother!" 

I froze, blinking slowly. All of my life, my mother had told me and told me that my father was a Greek god named, Hypnos. I'd always trusted and believed her with that sort of childhood innocence and, because of that, I was highly interested in mythology. I had read almost all of the books on Greeks that the library had to offer. With that being said, I recognized this man from the books.

With wide eyes, I looked up at this tall man.

"Vraiment? You're..." I paused, not wanting to be wrong and offend him. The more I thought about my studies though, the more I knew I was correct. Brightening up, I finished my guess, "Morpheus?" 

Morpheus nodded, looking impressed with the knowledge I had obtained on my own. "That I am. And you must be..."

At that point, I was too excited and the words flooded from my mouth before I could stop them. 

"Je suis Clovis Antoinette Valois. It is good to meet you. An honneur." 

Morpheus simply smiled darkly. 

After that fateful meeting, my godly brother and I met up on the street everyday. Morpheus would teach me about the gods and their extensive history. He informed me about the Roman and Egyptian gods as well as the Norse ones and soon I knew more about the gods than any other mortal ever would. In fact, all of that knowledge would come in handy later on in my life. But at the time, all I cared about was my brother. 

Morpheus also helped me straighten and clean up my English. I could now speak English almost perfectly though French would always be my mother tongue. I often switched between the two when I spoke without noticing.

We became close and one day, I noticed that Morpheus looked very angry. I asked him what was wrong. Morpheus said nothing, taking me to an abandoned alley instead and sending me to sleep. I'll admit that I was a little cared he was going to hurt me, but I trusted him so much that instead of waking myself up, I stayed put. 

Using his powers on dreams, Morpheus teleported me to a dream version of Camp Half Blood. I didn't know where I was, but I recognized the Big House straight away. 

"My mother brought me to this place before. Je ne pense pas que les gens nous a beaucoup aimés." 

Morpheus snorted.

"Trust me, they don't. They hate us. This place is supposed to be a safe place, a haven for people like you; demigods. Other demigods go here and stay and a magic barrier keeps out the monsters. They are given free education and training and sleep in the cabins safely each night. They are served three meals every day and at night, they sing songs and laugh." 

I shifted, wiggling with excitement. 

"That sounds like fun. I don't get to talk to other kids my age much. They do not live around this part of the city. Why do they not like us, frère?" 

Morpheus sighed. "Because, your father and I are not Olympian gods. We are minor gods not 'worthy' enough to have our innocent children protected. Minor gods and goddesses have never been sllowed to bring their kin into the camp. I'm surprise that you were not killed when your mother brought you to that evil centaur." 

I gulped, looking at Morpheus with doe-like eyes. 

"But, brother, you and father are gods too! And I, a demigod. Nous sommes les mêmes!" 

Morpheus shook his head. 

"Ah, but we are not the same. We are looked down upon as weak, evil gods. A species not worthy of their Olympian presence. Because of this, minor gods and goddesses alike have to see their children slain by monsters in the outside world all because some of us think they are better than others," Morpheus ranted angrily. 

I blinked again, feeling indignant. "Ce n'est pas juste! I want to live too!"

Morpheus gritted his teeth, "Brother, I promise you. You will not have to live in hiding much longer. Some of us are tired of this treatment and are ready to put a stop to it. We'll make them see what we truly are." 

I nodded quietly, watching in the dreamscape where some playful demigods chased each other through a strawberry patch with longing in my heart. 

"Oui, I would like that." 

Several months passed and after that day, I didn't see Morpheus even once. It was like he'd disappeared from my life and I couldn't find her no matter I looked in the streets of Manhattan. I was distressed. With my mother working and my father out of the picture, Morpheus was the only family I had left. Furthermore, he was the only person who was willing to talk to me about my godly side. 

Despite all of this worry, I didn't slack on my studies. I continued to learn English and work on other subjects as well. Without someone to look forward to seeing, it became harder to stay awake and I found my sleep napping more often once again. It was like I lost control of my will power and I was a tiny four year old once again. I was much older now and I hated feeling like this. 

I found myself dreaming of one thing and one thing only every time I slept; Camp Half Blood. I watched the demigods and demigoddesses play, learn, and love each other. Every night I'd see them bonding, singing, and embracing each other as they overcame obstacles and trained. I knew not a single one of them, but I grew fond of watching them interact with each other. It made me feel warm inside knowing that they loved and cared about each other and would never experience isolation like I did. 

In fact, the more I saw of the camp, the less angry I grew at them. I realized that they were all just kids, just the same as me. They couldn't control what was said and down and the way things were. They all just longed for love and companionship. 

One day, I had fallen asleep at the library while studying. The librarians, who were quite fond of me, had allowed me to sleep past their closing time. I would have usually been touched by the thoughtfulness, but I knew my mother would be worried about me when she returned to the alley. 

I thanked the ladies and raced out into the fading sunlight. I was hurrying home when Morpheus seemingly appeared out of nowhere in front of me. 

Jumping back in surprise, I gave Morpheus a concerned look. "Morpheus? Where have you been? I've been worried that something happened to you." 

Morpheus shook his head, a wild look in his eyes. He was in no way hurt or in danger from what I could tell. In fact, he seemed to be in a better mood than usual.

"Quite the opposite, dear brother. Hecate and I have readied an attack on this miserable state and the camp that has betrayed us. The first wave will be sent out shortly to take out those pathetic Olympian demigods and the next wave will take out the city." Morpheus purred, his voice dripping with poison. 

My eyes widened with horror.

"You're going to kill them?! Why?!"

Morpheus snorted, tossing his head with pride. "They've always looked down on us like we were their playthings. Now it's time to show them that we are superior and we deserve just as much respect as they do if not even more!"

I shook my head rapidly, thinking of ways to convince my brother that he was wrong in time to stop the first attack.

"Non, Morpheus! If we kill them, we'll be sinking down to the villains they say we are. They might not like us or let us live with them, but they don't deserve death!" 

Morpheus growled, not at all pleased by this response. 

"If we are monsters for killing off the tyrants that own Olympus, then so be it. I'm doing this for us, brother. For you to finally have a place in this world and for me to finally have a throne in the sky."

I continued to shake my head, protesting. 

"I don't want this! I don't care if I have to live on the streets all of my life. Please don't hurt them."

Morpheus shook his head slowly, his gaze hardening. 

"If you and father do not wish for me to do this for you, then I shall do it for myself."

He disappeared in a flourish and I let out a horrified cry. I ran through Manhattan, heading to a subway and catching one last minute. My anxiety was begin to spur as I realized that I was almost alone on the subway. Even this late at night, people were still all over the place. New York City never saw a dull moment.

It felt like the ride took forever until we arrived at an area where Morpheus and I had talked many a time. I knew he would be here because it was as if this place was special to him. As I hurriedly thanked the subway driver, I realized that he had fallen fast asleep. Not like a deep sleep one might have after a long day at work either... Almost exactly like a coma... I knew I was right and Morpheus was nearby.

As I jumped out of the subway and raced up the steps, I was aghast to see that the entire town was asleep. Everywhere I looked, people were slumped over in their cars or on the streets where they had stood. Dogs, squirrels, everything was fast asleep in those comatose like states. 

And I knew who was behind it. 

In the middle of it all, Morpheus was fighting with a group of demigods that I recognized from my dreams. A pudgy, blonde haired, violet eyed boy, a boy with a bow slung over his back, and a rough and tumble boy dodged and slashed, seemingly trying to distract Morpheus if anything.

I felt all of the blood drain from my face as I watched Morpheus slam a knife through the violet eyed boy's chest, dropping him to the ground. Scarlet blood erupted from his mouth and my heart dropped to my feet as his eyes glazed over and rolled back. 

The two other demigods immediately ceased fighting and ducked past Morpheus to grab their fallen friend, risking their own lives in the line of fire. They latched onto his arms and pulled him away from the fight as fast as they could. 

I couldn't handle anymore of this. I had just witnessed my brother commit cold-blooded murder of someone not much older than I. This had to stop. 

"Arrêtez! Stop! You can't keep this up, Morpheus! You're hurting innocent people!" I wailed, racing closer to Morpheus. I made sure to stay a little bit further away from him then I would have liked in case he thought I was a resident of Camp Half Blood and killed me instead. 

Morpheus snarled. "Are they really innocent, Clovis? You can't tell me you don't feel angry at them for keeping you out and destroying your chance at a good life. You can't!" 

I swallowed my spit, jumping closer to my brother and pleading with him with all I had. 

"I am angry with them, Morpheus, I really am. Because of them, my mother has to work the streets for money. I haven't gone to school for years. We had to leave France. We had to fight off monsters on our own. It was scary, Morpheus, really scary, but these kids, demigods, they do not control the will of their parents! They do not talk to the Olympians like you and I talk. They don't even know who we are! That doesn't me we should kill them! They're demigods too! We are the same, remember?" 

Morpheus growled, turning away from me and facing a new demigod who had been sent to be a distraction in front of him. 

"You are just like father." 

He raised a hand, about to slaughter a trembling demigod with dark skin and wide brown eyes.

I thought of the violet eyes boy dropping to the ground, all of the light fading from his eyes. I remember all the times I'd seen these same demigods simply existing witch each other and I knew I couldn't let it happen again. I wouldn't stand for it. 

I could help to stop this.

"No!" I cried, intercepting the attack by throwing myself at Morpheus. 

My brother tumbled to the ground, sending out a wonky blast of magic. It blasted against a building, destroying a large portion of it. 

I swallowed my spit as I watched the trembling demigod scramble away without giving me a second glance. I hoped that he would be okay. 

I didn't have a lot of time to think though because I was suddenly hoisted high up into the air by my shirt collar. I strained to get away as Morpheus brought me to his face, snarling. His blue eyes glowed with power and anger. 

"You little-!" 

Suddenly, a goddess dropped down to the Earth beside him, looking forlorn. Her dark hair flowed around her face as sweat glistened down her forehead. 

"I am afraid we aren't doing so well, Morpheus. It appears that the demigods are winning."

Morpheus growled, "Not on my watch." He threw me to the ground and I felt my head hit the concrete, hard. My eyesight quickly began to go black and the last thing I saw was Morpheus and Hecate disappearing. 

I felt like I was out forever. I wasn't dreaming and I was only aware of blackness and what could have been silence had it not been for the sharp ringing in my head. 

Suddenly, my mother's distressed voice broke through it all. "Réveille-toi, mon fils! Je ne peux pas te perdre! Pas maintenant! S'il vous plaît!" 

When I forced myself to open my reluctant eyes, I couldn't see anything. Everything was one big blur and my head was pounding. My entire body felt like I'd been hit by a steamroller. Yet, I still found it in myself to say one word. 

"Mère?" 

My mother was instantly relieved. I could hear it in her voice. 

"Clovis, vous garçon spécial! Je pensais que tu étais mort! Ne me laissez plus jamais! Je t'aime! Je t'aime!"

"Je t'aime aussi, maman. Tu vas bien?" I asked, sitting up slowly and looking around. 

All around me, people were awake and going to work as if nothing had happened. They were only mildly confused at the minor destruction around them, but ignored it anyways. I didn't see a single corpse as far as the eye could see. 

"Ne t'inquiète pas. Je vais bien, mon fils. Es tu?" My mother responded, worry in her eyes. I had never realized how beautiful she was before I had almost lost her. 

"Je vais bien, maman. Qu'est-il arrivé?" I inquired, holding my temple as it throbbed to the beat of my heartbeat. 

My mother's eyebrows furrowed. 

"Je ne me rappelle pas. Tout ce que je peux penser est vous chercher lorsque le ciel devient pâle. Ensuite, c'est un flou. La prochaine fois, je savais que vous étiez dans la rue. J'ai essayé de vous parler, mais vous ne vous éveilleriez pas. Je suis content que vous alliez bien," She cooed, brushing her hand down my back and holding my close to her.

We stayed like this for a long time and I remember crying into her shoulder and shuddering as she rubbed my back and shoulders, kissing my cheek and consoling me. It took me a long time before my head pain had dulled enough to where I could stand. We took a subway home, and we laid together the rest of the day, just healing each other with our embraces. 

The next week, I finally felt good enough to return to my studies. My mother began to trust me more with me as old as I was and also allowed to me go shopping and pick up necessities whenever the need arose. 

I was walking down the street with some money in hand to buy something from the store for my mother when, to my surprise, two pegasuses landed on the street in front of me. 

I immediately tensed, thinking that I was, once again, under attack. Before I could do anything though, a boy with jet black hair and sea green eyes who sat aboard one of the pegasuses raised his arms up defensively. 

"Whoa, there. Everything's okay, dude." He reassured me and somehow, I believed them enough to drop my defenses. My arms fell back to my sides and I stared them down with wariness. 

The duo exchanged a look before the other pegasus rider dropped to the ground and held out a hand to me. I hesitated, searching her gaze for any hint of malign intent. Finding none, I took her hand and gave it a ginger shake. 

"I'm Annabeth Chase and this is my boy-... Friend, Percy Jackson." 

Percy, looking quiet oblivious at Annabeth's slip of the tongue, nodded, sidling up beside her and extending his hand in turn. I shook his hand politely. 

"We're from a special place called, Camp Half Blood and we're here to take you home." 

I looked at these strange newcomers with amazement. I nearly asked them how they survived the attack on Manhattan, but stifled the question with a bite of my lip. Instead, I took a deep breath and composed my excitement. 

"You really want me there? Me? Clovis Valois?" 

Annabeth and Percy exchanged an equally surprised look. 

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked, looked a bit concerned. 

"I was... Told that Camp Half Blood did not accept kids like me," I said softly.

Percy gave me a look. "What do you mean? You're acting as if you've been there before." 

I looked down at my raggedy shoes, feeling the old isolated feeling invade my heart. 

"I might have been."

Despite this, Percy simply shook his head. "Whatever dude. Let's just get you to camp before a chimera pops out or something."

I winced. 

"S-sorry, I would, but... My mère- Mother , Camile Valois and I live... On the streets... She doesn't speak any English. And I can't just leave her like this. She's the only family I have left."

Annabeth's questioning look softened and she placed a hand on my shoulder. I flinched, but allowed her to keep it there. 

"I'm sure Chiron or Mr D can give your mother some funds to get herself on her feet," She reassured me gently. 

And with that, I led them to our alley where my mother was hurried making a batch of biscuits for a street sale wit the limited room we had to make them with. She gave me a quick smile as I walked over to her, but she didn't seem to notice the two tag-a-longs and their winged friends. 

Annabeth walked up to her and my mother gave me a happy look, her face brightening. "Est-elle ta petite amie?" She asked, inquisitively.

My ears reddened as they usually did when I was embarrassed and I crossed my arms. 

"Non, maman. Elle vient ici pour parler avec vous."  
This got my mother's attention. She turned to face Annabeth, standing in front of me protectively.

"Ms Valois, we are from Camp Half Blood. We are here to take your son, Clovis home. Do you know who his godly parent is?" Annabeth asked gently, her voice as soft and nonthreatening as she could make it. 

I knew the answer to this question, but I figured I'd better leave it to my mother to explain. I translated everything to my mother and she grinned with the most happiness I'd ever seen her express. 

"Camp Half Blood? Formidable! Mon fils a-t-il enfin une place pour vivre? Il est un garçon aussi spécial, il l'est!" My mother exclaimed, patting my shoulder proudly. She was practically beaming. 

Now it wasn't onmy my ears that were red. My entire face was the color of ripe strawberries, but I tried to play it off the best I could.

"My father is Hypnos," I replied. 

I looked down at my shoes in shame as I was used to doing after talking about my father, but Percy and Annabeth brightened up.

"Great! We just built the cabin for him this week. You'll be the first addition," Annabeth said, smiling toothily. 

I looked up in surprise. "You mean I can really stay?" 

Annabeth nodded, looking at Percy happily, "All children of gods and goddesses alike are permitted to stay now thanks to my doofy friend here."

Percy grinned shyly, scratching the back of his head. "It was nothing. You guys deserved better."

And now I was the one who was finally smiling.

"Thank you. You are both incroyable!" 

I explained to my mother quickly that i was allowed to stay and she pulled me in for a hug, spinning me around. 

"Fantastique! Incroyable! Spectaculaire!" 

In the end, Annabeth and Percy came through. They provided my mother enough funds to open her own bakery like she'd always wanted. She has her own house now as well. I visit her a lot during the year, but in any case, this story is not finished.

I rode home to camp on Annabeth's pegasus. I ended up falling asleep on her shoulder on the way there which did not sit well with Percy. Annabeth explained to Percy as I was falling asleep that it was because all children of Hypnos have narcolepsy. I just thought it was because she had a comfy shoulder in all honesty. 

When we first arrived at camp, I wasn't greeted in a friendly way. Almost everyone was cautious and no one wanted to be near me. 

I thought I saw the violet haired boy from the battle in the crowd (looking more pale, skinny, and sad) but I frowned as I remember how fatal it had been. It couldn't have been him.

All I could hear was muttering and whispers; 'traitor', 'not to be trusted', 'a threat'... 

As I stood there, my chest began to heave and in front of everyone, I had my first anxiety attack. I clutched at my chest, panting and heaving for breath as tears rolled down my cheeks. It passed over time and everyone was staring at me. I was about ready to ask Percy and Annabeth to bring me home when a girl with purple hair walked over to me and stuck out a hand, ignoring looks of the spectators.

"Name's Lou Ellen Blackstone, daughter of Hecate. And you are?" 

I stared at her hand for a minute before I could finally compose myself somewhat. I took her hand and shook it as I trembled at the contact.

"C-Clovis Valois, son of Hypnos. Er... nice to meet you..." I murmured.

But this moment was shattered as a tall, ebony-haired girl waltzed over, inspecting me like I was a a pile of garbage laying in front of her. Her hand was placed on her hip and her nose was turned up.

"Oh, tell me you aren't letting that one stay too. He's not even cute and who knows when he might turn against us and put us all into an eternal sleep." She growled silkily. 

Cries of agreement rang out. 

Lou Ellen frowned, her lip jutting out. "Leave him alone! He's not his brother. Just like I'm not my mom." 

Drew snorted.

"Just like the traitor to stand up for another traitor." 

Lou Ellen simply flicked her wrist and muttered something under her breath darkly. 

"Chýsimo: Spyrákia afthonías."

Drew's pert face instantly swelled up with acne everywhere. She let out a shriek and raced to the cabins. 

All of the surrounding demigods looked at me and Lou Ellen with fearful and wary eyes. 

Lou Ellen ignored this and gave me a once over. She gave me a warm smile and placed a hand on my shoulder. 

"I think we're gonna be friends, Dream Boy." 

\----------------

"Ever since then, I've received multiple threats from my brother. He's horribly angry with me for trying to stop him and messing up his plans. Some day..." Clovis gulped. "Someday I fear he's going to kill me..." The blonde brushed through his sweat plastered hair nervously as he finished his story.

Marty stared at Clovis open-mouthed. All of the words that had flooded from Clovis's mouth filled Marty's head and swirled, filling him with the same dread on Clovis's face. He felt the anger, sadness, and pain in his own heart as if it were his own. He felt what it was like to live on the streets, to be isolated, to be not trusted. He felt what it was like to be the villain. And most of all, he felt what it was like to be scared.

And Marty threw his arms around Clovis, pulling him into a tight hug and resting his face against his neck.

Clovis tensed for a second before returned the gesture, just as tightly. 

"You're not a bad guy, Clovis. You're nothing like Morpheus. You're not him and you never will be. I trust you and you're my friend. Please don't be scared. He'll never hurt you. Never again," Marty comforted the older boy, feeling his hand brushing down Clovis's back without him even telling it too. It just felt right. His other hand tangled through Clovis's hair, teasing out the curls. He closed his eyes and pressed closer to Clovis. "I'm glad you told me. I want to help."

For a long while, it was entirely silent. No waves lapped at the shore, no naiads laughed, and no demigods chattered in the backdrop. All Marty could hear was his own pounding heartbeat.

Finally, Clovis's arms dropped back down to his side slowly and Marty untangled himself from Clovis with embarrassment decorating his grimacing face. He was sure Clovis would hit him or call him out or worse, accuse of him being... 

But as he looked into the blue eyes of his friend, he watched those pale pink lips turn up into a warm smile. Clovis's eyes sparkled like the water of the lake and Marty found himself drowning in their depths. 

But it wasn't painful for once.

It actually felt... Good...

But Clovis's eyes closed and he dipped his head, his smile still etched upon his tired face. 

"Thank you, Marty. I owe you one."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love these two babes.


	9. Chapter 9 'Jalissa Gets Blind-Sided'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jalissa goes strawberry picking with a stranger.

Jalissa

Well, that was strange... Are the tablecloths here supposed to blink? Jalissa's brows furrowed at the dark purple fabric of the Morpheus table. The eye was closed once again, but she could have sworn that it had winked at her. She squinted her own two eyes, blinking harshly and taking in the appearance of the cloth once more. The eye was still closed. 

Perhaps I just didn't get enough sleep last night, Jalissa thought, staring at the cloth suspiciously. Or perhaps I am going mad. I wouldn't doubt it in this camp. It certainly seems to have that affect on some people... Her eyes trailed over to glance at the tables in the pavilion, as she hadn't really gotten the chance to look since she'd gotten here. She didn't know much about the gods really, but the symbols on the tablecloths were more than enough for identification purposes. 

There were two important looking tables with white tablecloths towards the front of the pavilion; one had a lightning bolt symbol while the other had what looked to be a peacock feather. The lightning bolt table was easy enough to distinguish being the Zeus cabin's main symbol. However, the other table did not occur to Jalissa as any specific god straight away. 

At first glance, one would think Iris with peacocks being the most flamboyant and colorful of the animal kingdom, but there was no one there. Jalissa was sure that Crystal had stated that she had some siblings. The Zeus table had two occupants: a blonde boy with short, cropped hair and a scar on his lip, and the head counselor of the cabin Jalissa resided in, Piper. She knew the two were an item by the sheer amount of gossip that filtered in and out of the Aphrodite cabin, but she could not have cared less about the inter-cabin relations.

The other table must be someone related to Zeus somehow, Jalissa scoffed. But then again, who isn't related to Zeus somehow? Disgusting. 

Table three had pretty cerulean cloth donning it. A green trident was etched on the side, and a boy with jet black hair and sea green eyes was sitting side by side with a blonde girl that Jalissa recognized from the campfire. She'd been inspecting the counselors closely, and this one appeared to be the Athena counselor. She had stormy, grey eyes and her lips were almost pert like she was constantly thinking of something or other. The duo both had a matching grey streak in their hair, and they seemed very close. 

Moving onto the next table (that had a small spattering of flowers beneath it), Jalissa spotted two girls who were braiding each other's hair. One was dark-skinned with intense brown eyes and the other girl was tan with long, brown hair. The tan girl seemed more extroverted by a long shot and was also very clearly athletic. Her legs were long and toned, so Jalissa was willing to bet she was a runner. 

The fifth table was a mess to be frank. The tablecloth was as red as fresh blood, and the symbol on the side was a boar's head. Jalissa immediately recognized the two girls who had been terrorizing Marty earlier. They were currently engaging in a food fight that quickly escalated to an all out brawl. Meanwhile, the (assumed to be counselor) sat back with a neutral expression on his face. His feet were on the table, and Jalissa felt herself seethe at the sheer rudeness of the table. Marty was nothing like them. He didn't belong with that group of hoodlums, but there was nothing Jalissa could do about it. Marty didn't seem to fit in no matter where he went.

Jalissa knew she was looking at the Athena cabin's table immediately as her eyes moved over one to the right. It was a sight for sore eyes, completely different from table five. The cloth was a modest gray, and the emblem on the side was one of an owl. The kids who sat there were all nose deep in a book or a map of battle plans. They were quiet and peaceful, and Jalissa half wished that that was her cabin instead of the disgustingly love-oriented Aphrodite cabin. 

The next table had a yellow tablecloth with an emblem of the sun. The children sitting there were all sun-tanned and smiling like they had no troubles. A few musical instruments sat around their feet including, but not limited to, a saxophone, a violin, a ukulele, and a small xylophone. Even the way that those particular demigods spoke was sing-songy; they were much like a large group of little songbirds. Will Solace and his boyfriend were sitting together, arguing over something or other, but neither of them looked truly angry. 

The eighth table was none too spectacular with an entirely silver cloth and the emblem of a crescent moon on the side. No one was seated there, but clearly someone had in the past as a discarded bow and arrow leaned against the bench on its own. An arrow sat beside it, looking dusty and old. No one seemed to want to take the responsibility of returning it to where it belonged, so Jalissa followed the crowd and let it be. 

Cabin nine's table was almost as bad as the Ares table. Instead of weapons and fighting, there was instead metal scraps, tools, and lots of tinkering kids. All of them were oil-stained and covered in burns, scratches, and bruises. The counselor himself couldn't seem to sit still in the slightest, his hands fiddling on the table, tap tap tapping away. 

Jalissa purposely skipped over her own table; she thought she might puke if she saw one more doe-eyed cherub child making kissy faces at any passerby that happened to be unlucky enough. She decided she'd rather keep her lunch down. 

The Aphrodite camper nearly had to double-take at the sheer size of the next table in line. It was HUGE and almost worse than both the Ares table and table nine. Dozens of squirming kids wriggled about, trying to pick pocket each other and get away with it. Some of them looked a bit nervous and unsure, and Jalissa was sure they didn't belong to the mischievous cabin. She'd heard that there was a cabin for kids who were currently unclaimed to stay at, the Hermes cabin, so she figured this must be the one. 

Cabin twelve had an awfully solemn table where only one pudgy boy with blonde hair and strikingly violet eyes sat. His head was lowered, rested on one of his battle-worn hands, and his eyes, though impressively purple, were almost unseeing as if he was staring through everything. Jalissa didn't understand the intense sadness that radiated from this table considering it looked to be Dionysus's table. Dionysus was the god of parties and wine, so she couldn't see why it wasn't as wild and crowded as the Ares cabin's table. 

The thirteenth cabin was unsettling as it was dark and lonely. A huge, sealed crack stretched out from underneath it to the middle of the pavilion itself. It made Jalissa uneasy enough to move onto the next table prematurely. She was sure that this happened to be Nico Di Angelo's true table though she could understand why he chose to sit elsewhere. 

Crystal's table was next; the tablecloth was a pastel rainbow gradient with (you guessed it) a rainbow symbol etched upon it. There weren't very many campers seated, but Jalissa recognized the bulky counselor upon seeing him. Butch was his name, and he looked like he belonged with a more rough and tumble table. Jalissa knew though that he was only capable of killer hugs and nothing more. 

Table fifteen made Jalissa wince. It was currently empty, but there were pillows and blankets tossed around it like the kids who occupied the cabin usually often slept out here. There were also a few discarded trays lying around just as lazily as the campers that sat there before. The tablecloth was either a very dark purple or blue, but the symbol was strange. It looked like a branch, but it appeared to be dripping water. Jalissa decided quickly that she preferred table thirteen by a long shot. At least it was clean.

There were only a few cabins left, and they, like cabins thirteen through fifteen, were mostly unpopulated. 

The next table over was table sixteen. The tablecloth was almost as black as the cloth at table thirteen, but the symbol was very unique: a broken wheel that resembled Pac-Man closely. Sitting at the table was the pale boy that had been being toyed around with by Drew earlier. He looked mutinous as an olive-skinned girl chewed his ear off to his side. His fingers tugged at his black pony-tail irritably like he'd gotten this talk many a time. 

Table seventeen had a strikingly blue tablecloth with a gold laurel stitched upon it. Two twins were standing up from it, arguing back and forth before racing each other off towards an arena in the distance. They were almost completely identical in looks and in the competition that radiated off of them. 

The next two tables were none too impressive. Table eighteen was a pale pink, but Jalissa could not make out the symbol clearly from where she stood. Only one camper sat there, and he was smiling obliviously as if he understood none of what went on around him. Table nineteen seemed to be leprechaun themed with a green tablecloth and a shamrock symbol. It was occupied by two siblings placing bets and playing rock-paper-scissors. 

The final table that sat near all the others had a vibrant purple tablecloth with a symbol of a crossroad on it. The table had three occupants, all of which radiated powerful magical abilities. One of the siblings was levitating a goblet in the air; she had long and flowing, blonde hair with bright, blue eyes. She was tall and scrawny, but Jalissa realized she was given height by the high heels on her feet. If she would take them off, she'd be about the same height of Miles if not a tiny bit shorter. Miles was a monster. 

And then, in the very far back, away from every other table and the farthest from the serving area, was the Morpheus table. It was just as empty and lifeless as it had been before Jalissa had chosen to sit there this morning. People eyed it uneasily as they passed by, going to attend their camp activities for the day. The eye remained sealed tightly. 

This table was arguably the most mysterious of the entire bunch of them. No one seemed to even want to go near it, and as far as Jalissa knew, there was no cabin to go along with it. There were no sons, daughters, or children of Morpheus in the entire camp. So, why was it there? What purpose did it serve? And why did it seem to keep drawing her back...?

"Are you done spacing out yet? Gods, you've been standing at the fire pit long enough for me to have died, went through judgement, and gone to Elysium by now!" A boy with chocolate brown hair and matching eyes snapped Jalissa back to earth with his irritated scoff of a voice. 

The first thing Jalissa became aware of after coming back from her daydreaming land was the scent of... Well, it was hard to describe really. It was like... Warm blankets in the rain, cuddles near the fire, dark chocolate melting on a toasty s'more; it smelled like comfort, and it was radiating from the fire pit. 

She didn't have enough time to ponder the scent as she glanced behind herself worriedly. There was a huge line of demigods waiting impatiently for their turn to scrape their offerings to their parents via means of fire. She'd created a blockage in the road.

That was the last thing she wanted: to be noticed. It was hard enough to fly under the radar whilst in the Aphrodite cabin, but she certainly didn't want to be known as the spacey daydreamer around the entire camp as well. 

Dipping her head nervously, she turned and ducked off away from the line. She hoped she hadn't caused too much of a hubbub and placed her tray on a stack of dirty ones near the edge of the pavilion. She needed to get out of here, away from this structure and all of the tables as soon as she could before she did something worse.

The early morning breeze drifted through the air, fluffing Jalissa's poofy hair. The scent of wild strawberries wafted around the entire dip in the valley where they were grown, and music from reed pipe-playing satyrs set the mood for a relaxing start of a new day. After the morning spent at breakfast with the blundering bozos, this calming atmosphere was very much welcome.

Jalissa walked leisurely down the dusty trail to the strawberry patch, observing the people who were already there with cautious curiosity. She was hoping that none of her siblings had decided to go strawberry picking today as well. To her relief though, Jalissa spotted no one that she recognized. 

Wonderful, she thought. Some time to myself without Miles, Crystal, Marty, and the rest of the hoodlums. Thank God. 

As she grew closer to the activity area, she felt a light prod at the side of her foot. Nearly stumbling over whatever had poked her in the first place, she stopped walking all together and turned indignantly. Her eyebrows furrowed and she was just about to send out a scathing remark when she took in the aggressor's appearance. 

More like passive-aggressor...

Her coffee brown eyes trailed up and down, inspecting a boy she'd never seen at camp before. He was lanky, ungracefully so, and in his hand, he gripped a cane made of oak. The boy had tousled, blonde hair that just barely hung into his eyes which were framed by a pair of dark sunglasses. The sunglasses dipped down his nose the tiniest bit, and Jalissa could make out two milky, blue eyes from beneath them. 

Despite herself, Jalissa blushed. 

"Oops, sorry! Didn't see you there," the boy stated apologetically. His voice was soft and mellow, much like a breeze of its own. 

Jalissa frowned slightly, rubbing at her cheeks in irritation. Why were they so hot all of a sudden? "Who are you?" she questioned, forgetting to be polite momentarily.

The thin boy sheepishly tapped his fingers along the handle of the walking stick in hand. It seemed like he wasn't used to such aggressive responses. Nevertheless, he responded immediately. "Fletcher Leverett, and you?" 

The daughter of Aphrodite felt a tiny bit bad for questioning him so suddenly without even accepting his apology, but it was too late now. Playing off her impulsive behavior, she brushed her yellow shorts gingerly. "Jalissa Hart. It's a pleasure to meet you." 

Fletcher nodded, seeming to grow more comfortable with the conversation as it went on. He was clearly shy to some extent, but he also radiated a very lax aura. Jalissa had felt this attitude before from the blonde, surfer boy who had helped her with the dragon, Peleus. Will was his name. Jalissa wondered if the two were siblings. "Same to you," he paused before speaking up again. "Hey Jalissa, would you mind taking me to the strawberry patch? I sort of wanted to pick Will a basket or two since he didn't win the race today. He's not upset about it or anything, but I think everyone could do with some strawberries every once in awhile." 

Ah, so they must be siblings then, Jalissa thought to herself. She nodded to Fletcher before realizing that he could not see her. Immediately, more red blush covered her cheeks and made them burn. How could she be so stupid? "Oops, I mean, of course. I was heading there myself." 

"Great, thank you so much," Fletcher smiled, reaching out his free hand that shook like a small earthquake. As he felt through the air, Jalissa realized that he was trying to find her hand. She hesitated for a moment before caving and giving her palm to him. She didn't usually like physical contact, but she figured that Fletcher would be an exception. Besides, she was doing something good for once. 

Fletcher's slender fingers curled through Jalissa's trustingly, and the daughter of Aphrodite began to walk towards the strawberry patch once more. She was careful not to drag Fletcher along, instead keeping a slow and steady walking pace. Fletcher kept up just fine with his long legs, but his cane was almost always out in front of him. Though he clearly had a disability, he still held himself with some sort of confidence. His shoulders were squared back, and his head was up and swiveling as if he could really take in the sights of the camp.

"It's really nice of you to do this for me. Usually people don't know what to say to me when I ask. I think they mostly feel sorry for me," Fletcher stated, snapping Jalissa's attention back to earth. The (most likely) son of Apollo shrugged nonchalantly. "It's not all that bad. I mean, besides getting around here, I can do a lot of things. Will says I had a good ear for music even though I can't read it." 

At this, Jalissa lost her impulse control yet again. She couldn't help it; she kept picturing those milky, blue eyes that lurked behind the shades. "How did it happen? I mean, not to be blunt, but-" 

"Oh no, don't worry. Everyone asks me that question sooner or later," he smiled warmly as if this didn't bother him at all. "I was born blind. My mother was really upset about it, but I never really cared all that much. As long as I could still hear things," Fletcher rubbed his stomach with the knuckles of his hand that held the cane, nearly jabbing Jalissa with it. "And taste Mom's black forest gateau, I was set." 

Jalissa laughed quietly. Fletcher had been born with a huge setback in his life, yet he still managed to crack jokes as if everything was all good. She liked that about him. 

The duo finally came to a halt at the beginning of the strawberry patch. Satyrs were sitting on stumps and playing their reed pipes to encourage the bugs to leave the berries alone. The music also seemed to put everyone in a good mood. Most of the Demeter cabin was here, and the head counselor of the Dionysus cabin was as well. He was gently dragging his finger tips along the vines and fruit that grew riper under his touch. 

It was peaceful.

"We're here," Jalissa began softly. "Do you... Need any help?" 

A small part of Jalissa hoped that Fletcher still needed her. She was quite enjoying his company though they had only just met, making him one of the only people that she could consider a companion. He could make her smile. 

Fletcher shrugged languidly. "I'm usually pretty good gathering them on my own, but I wouldn't mind the company." 

At this, Jalissa's heart fluttered. She was glad that she hadn't offended Fletcher, nor scared him away, and the fact that he didn't mind if she stuck around made her feel all the more important. Out of habit, she nodded her head, concealing the tiniest glimmer of a grin. 

"Alright, thank you. Let's go get our baskets," Jalissa responded, skipping over to a satyr with a mop of frizzy, brown hair atop his head. A pair of horns jutted out from the top of his head, and an old Rasta cap hung from one of them. He was wearing tie-dyed arm warmers that were accentuated by the orange Camp Half-Blood shirt he currently donned. His fuzzy hindquarters were exposed, and his tail flickered back and forth happily. Near his cloven hooves, about twenty hand-woven baskets sat. To his side, on a small log, a pale, green-skinned woman with flowing, amber hair sat weaving more baskets. 

Without a word to either of the older residents of Camp Half-Blood, Jalissa snatched up two baskets. One of them was a dark purple while the other was as golden as a cluster of wheat. The green woman gave Jalissa a tiny smile and wave as she selected the baskets, and Jalissa simply nodded in acknowledgement. She handed the golden basket to Fletcher, nudging his hand a little to give him the hint. 

Fletcher took the basket, nodding his head gratefully at Jalissa. He had a bright white, almost blinding smile that made Jalissa feel warm from her head to her toes. The moment did not last for long though as Fletcher wandered off, poking the ground ahead of him with his walking stick. He seemed to know where he could find the strawberry clusters pretty well, and Jalissa figured that he must spend a lot of time here. 

Jalissa waltzed over to a particularly strawberry-covered area. She began to inspect the berries for the ripest ones, picking them with one hand whilst dropping them into her basket with the other. 

How does Fletcher know which ones are ripe enough to pick? Jalissa's mind began to wander back to her new acquaintance. She picked strawberries more absent-mindedly, her gathering becoming more and more diverse. He was a mysterious person, very interesting to Jalissa. He was shy, but more of an open book. He was a bit solemn, but was still very much positive. He was blind, yet he seemed to see more than Jalissa did. I can't imagine being blind. How awful it must be to not be able to see the sky, the stars, and the lake. However does he manage to smile so carelessly the way he does? Does his cabin ever make fun of him-

Jalissa's hand was reaching for a particularly plump strawberry when another hand closed around hers gently. She fought the urge to retreat, her eyes widening and shooting over to see Fletcher once again. He looked a bit embarrassed, but his hand lingered on hers for a moment.

"Oh, oops! You beat me to it, haha. That's a good one right there; I can feel it in my bones. Well, hope you enjoy it!" And with that, Fletcher's hand retreated to search for more berries. 

The daughter of Aphrodite stood for a moment, just watching as Fletcher casually hunted for and picked whatever strawberries he could. Unfortunately, due to Jalissa's diligence, most of them had already been picked from the area. Fletcher was beating a dead horse. 

A part of her felt bad for letting him go on, and another more confusing part of her felt compelled to give Fletcher the berry they had found together. Listening to her heart more than her mind for once in a blue moon, she grasped the plump strawberry quickly and tugged it away from the vine. Carefully, she rubbed her thumb over its exterior, watching Fletcher for just a moment more before deciding on her course of action. 

Jalissa's arm out stretched towards Fletcher. She turned her palm upwards to the sky and held the strawberry out to him. "Here, you can have it. It looks pretty juicy." 

Fletcher perked up at the sound of his guide's voice, his head swiveling to face Jalissa without help. He pushed his slipping sunglasses up with a finger and tilted his head like a blonde puppy. Jalissa couldn't see his eyes, but from the rest of his face, he seemed to be very surprised at the act of kindness. "You sure? You might not ever find another strawberry like this one." 

A welcoming smile curled up Jalissa's usually pert lips. "Strawberries are strawberries." 

Fletcher reached out slowly, feeling for Jalissa. This time, she took the initiative; gently, she grabbed his frail hand with hers, maneuvering the berry into his grasp. The blonde son of Apollo gave her a bashful smile at the touch, bringing the strawberry up to his lip. He took a small bite and let his eyes roll back with an overly-dramatic look of pleasure. The strawberry couldn't have been THAT good. 

"Wow, I was right; this one's really good! Thanks, Jalissa," Fletcher said gratefully. His sunglasses were sliding down his nose once again, but Jalissa didn't see the harm it could cause, instead glancing into his glassy eyes. How could it be that they were so gorgeous, yet held no light?

Jalissa beamed, her dimples becoming more prominent when she did so. She hadn't felt so relaxed in a long while. "Please, you can call me Liss if you'd like to." 

At this, Fletcher returned the gesture. Jalissa was almost worried that the brightness of his smile would blind her too. "Alright, Liss. Say, you're one of the newer arrivals, right? Are you the daughter of Aphrodite?" 

With a wince, Jalissa gave a hesitant nod. She was hoping that her godly parentage wouldn't define her altogether as she was so much more than simple floozy, but it seemed that no one cared. "Yes, that's me..." 

For the millionth time today, Fletcher smiled. He seemed to do it a lot when he wasn't awkwardly fumbling for an apology. "Cool. My dad's Apollo if you hadn't guessed him already. Everyone says I look like Will, but I wouldn't know, haha," he paused, mulling over his words before going on. "The cabin's pretty fun and my siblings are cool... How do you like your cabin?" 

Jalissa hesitated for one moment too long, and Fletcher was unusually perceptive, picking up on it immediately. His gaze softened in sympathy. 

"I'll bet it's rough. Sorry to hear that. You want to talk about it?" 

There was another hesitant pause, this one a bit less awkward and a bit more unsure. Did Jalissa really need to spew her problems to this new acquaintance of hers on the first day of knowing him? He'd shown her nothing, but kindness so she figured it would be okay... Just this once.

"Yes..."

The duo of demigods gathered the rest of their strawberries into their baskets and began to walk out of the strawberry patch. The darker-skinned girl from the Demeter table was standing near the entrance, and she gave Fletcher a pleasant send-off. She seemed accustomed to seeing him as if both she and he spent most of their time in the strawberry fields. After Fletcher waved in the direction of the Demeter girl's voice, he continued to walk with Jalissa towards the arts and crafts pavilion. He seemed to know this area better, and Jalissa was willing to bet that it was because of his siblings' hobbies. 

Taking a seat at a bench on the outside of the structure, they were virtually alone; only one unsure looking dryad remained outside, her eyes flickering back and forth from the inside of the pavilion to the children on the bench. Jalissa didn't see a problem with her being there though. What would a dryad know? 

"It's all too much," Jalissa began to vent, the words leaving her mouth before she could even think. "I mean, I grew up in Nevada with my father who was constantly getting into flings and hookups with street urchins around the neighborhood. Because of this, we were constantly moving. It was embarrassing, God, was it ever embarrassing. If any of the girls at my primary school would have found out, I would have been the laughing stock. I loved my father, I truly did. I still do, in fact. I didn't know mother right away, but... Well, I don't tell many people this, but I met her once. She was at a local drug store while I was picking up my prescription with my father. He recognized her and was really excited to see her, but she didn't seem all that impressed with me. She kept asking me if I had a significant other or something and didn't seem to care about my academic achievements in the slightest. It was awful." 

Fletcher nodded, encouraging her to go on. His brows were furrowed as if he was in deep thought.

"Anyhow, I didn't like to spend a lot of time at home, so I learned the streets of Las Vegas very well. One day, a very nice woman stopped me on the sidewalk and asked me if I wanted to check out the new kids' addition of a local casino and motel. I was having a bit of a rough day, so I agreed without much of a thought towards it. I followed her into a casino along the road that was lovely and extravagantly decorated. It was amazing in there. They had everything a girl could ask for. I'd been spending some time upstairs on the VIP section when something... Unfortunate happened. A very... Rude man was trying to hurt me, and well, the next thing I knew, I was out of the casino and I was here," Jalissa danced around the edges of her story. She didn't like Clovis nor Lou Ellen in the slightest, but she knew that they were humans (well, demigods) just as she was and deserved privacy all the like. 

"After arriving here, I was informed that my mother was Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. My cabin is just about the largest and most occupied in camp. It's a madhouse of emotions and gooey romance. It's almost sickening how much my siblings all care about their looks. I hate it there. In fact, I've already outweighed my friends to enemies ratio unfavorably, and I don't see it getting much better honestly. I just... I want to go home..." Jalissa trailed off before realizing that Fletcher was completely silent. She'd been talking forever; what if she'd bored him to sleep? "Oh, I'm such a chatterbox! I haven't even let you have a chance to say anything. Go ahead, tell me anything." 

Fletcher's neverending smile turned wistful and sad. "It's okay. It sounded like you needed to let loose. I didn't mind," he let out a tired sigh, making him look a couple years older than he truly was. "I guess there's only one thing I don't like about being blind. It makes it really hard to make friends when everyone feels sorry for you and treats you like your helpless," Fletcher straightened his shoulders at this and held his head a little higher. He removed his dark sunglasses from his face and placed them on his lap. "I'm really not. I can do a lot of stuff by myself, but it's hard when I never get the opportunity to. I just... Sort of want a friend who sees me as a person, you know?" 

Jalissa nodded, understanding where he was coming from. She hated to be underestimated just because of her height, race, or parentage. She was capable of so much more than people thought she was; she just needed an opportunity to prove it. "I get what you mean..."

The two sat quietly for a long while, listening to the sounds of the camp around her. This section of the camp was more quiet with only the currently unoccupied volleyball court and the lake nearby. Birds chirped overhead, and the distant noises of the demigods in camp echoed from all around. Even the dryad that had been keeping an eye on them seemed to have deemed them harmless and returned back to the inside of the pavilion. 

The daughter of Aphrodite turned and leaned forward slightly, looking into Fletcher's cloudy eyes. She knew he couldn't see her back, staring sightlessly ahead of himself, but Jalissa didn't care. "I'll be that friend," she began. "I won't treat you any differently than I would anyone else. I promise." 

Fletcher processed these words for only a few short seconds before his smile turned just as blissful as the atmosphere around him. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the back of the bench, letting the summer sun wash over his face and warm him up. It looked as if he had found nirvana. "I'd like that... I'd like that very much." 

And with that, Jalissa accepted that she had at last made herself a new friend.


	10. Chapter 10 'Crystal Plays Dress Up with Senorita Valentine'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crystal goes to take Valentina up on her faux date and dress-up playdate offer and discovers that some people are worth speaking to... And others are just plain evil.

Crystal 

Crystal drew her hand across the small filly's velvety flank. The tiny pegasus let out a pleased whinny, rubbing her cheek against Crystal's hand in hopes of receiving a snack. Her big, calf-like eyes stared up into Crystal's trustingly. The Iris camper just couldn't say no. 

Fishing a bag of arguably the most adored pegasus snacks (an apple slice that was coated with sugar) out of her jeans pocket, she took a slice and flattened her palm. She offered the treat to the little filly. Immediately, the filly snuffled about her palm and took the piece of apple in her lips. Her fluffy tail swished back and forth happily as she crunched away.

"-anyways, that's why Lou Ellen isn't allowed near the strawberry patch anymore. Can you even imagine what the harpies thought when the boxes of strawberries they were packaging started to explode? It was totally hilarious, but Chiron definitely didn't agree. Funny story, huh? You never quite know what you're getting into when there's a child of Hecate around, but they're loyal friends to the end." 

Eva, who had politely agreed to Crystal's request of company while she helped out in the stables on Butch's command, had been chattering like a record on repeat for the past several hours. How she could come up with as many things as she did to speak about would always be a mystery to Crystal. It seemed as if Eva could talk about absolutely nothing forever.

"Mm," Crystal responded, rubbing her fingers against the pegasus filly's downy ears absent-mindedly. She'd never truly had any affinity for animals before and was frankly quiet scared of most of them, especially the big ones. She'd been given a female Ragdoll cat named, Angora the day she turned fourteen by her father, but the cat had never liked her. The ungrateful, little beast had taken to hiding beneath the furniture in the house and swiping at Crystal's ankles for the longest time. During those long years, leg warmers had to become a common article of Crystal's every day outfit. 

"But you'd never claw me, would you?" Crystal asked in a whisper to the filly beneath her. 

The pegasus fluffed her wings and let out another whinny, looking up at Crystal adoringly. As Crystal looked into her coffee brown eyes, she was reminded of Jake Mason. His eyes were a dark amber in coloration (almost the same color as the cognac that Crystal's father would drink on occasion), but they held the same welcoming light that made Crystal feel warm from head to toe. 

Jake... Crystal thought. He wanted me to meet with him next Wednesday down by the lake... How long is Wednesday from today? 

Crystal swiveled her head, continuing to block out Eva's storytelling, and searched for a calendar along the walls. 

Truth be told, Crystal had no idea what day it was. Ever since she'd walked into the Lotus Casino, time seemed to go by slower than a snail in peanut butter. She'd lost all concept of the hour, day, and even very briefly, the month. It had been a couple of days, not many, since she'd been brought to the camp, and she still had no idea about the date. All she knew was that the summer nights were growing colder which meant that autumn was just around the corner. 

Come on, I know there's a calendar in here somewhere, Crystal thought irritably. I saw one when I walked in here. Where has it gone? 

Eventually, her eyes landed upon the rainbow gradient calendar that was fluttering in the slight breeze. The dates leading up to today were crossed out in glittery gel pen that was no doubt the work of Eva herself. Eva was the only person in the camp that seemed to have smuggled over more mortal items than the Hermes cabin, and Crystal was pretty sure that the camp store was not in possession of any gel pens. 

Finding the date, Crystal was relieved to see that she had been right about it being nearly autumn. She squinted, looking upward at the weekday and promptly beginning to hyperventilate. 

Today was Wednesday.

Crystal felt her pulse quicken, and she struggled to keep her breathing even. She didn't want to worry Eva or any of the pegasai, but it was extremely hard to do so. Jake had asked her to hang out with him today. Today was next Wednesday. How could she have set herself up for such a failure?

What am I gonna wear; a swimsuit or a dress? A nice skirt maybe? I don't even have any of those! My blue skirt is still in the wash! Am I supposed to eat before I go? Am I supposed to bring food? What if he tries to kiss me? Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods, what am I going to do-?! 

"-my personal favorite is definitely the lemonade, but the punch is good too- Crystal? Are you doing okay over there?" 

Eva's voice lilted in concern, and she turned from brushing Butch's old, gray pegasus, Irie. She focused her yellow, cat-like eyes on Crystal's face, inspecting her half-sister up and down like she was an animal at the vet. Eva, like her older half-brother, was very good at assessing pegasai health, but Crystal had no idea how she was with humans. 

"O-oh, yeah, I'm fine, Eva. Don't worry about me," Crystal waved her hands dismissively, trying to put on a great facade of feeling perfectly fine. 

Eva's brows narrowed with disbelief, but she didn't further press. 

For a very brief moment, there was nothing, but the sound of pegasai snorting and neighing in the stalls and Crystal's heart pounding in her chest. After awhile though, Eva couldn't stand the quiet anymore and broke the tension by starting up another one of her stories. 

Crystal breathed a sigh of relief. Though Eva might be concerned about her older half-sister, she was still a child, and children tended to worry not over trivial things for longer than needed. Eva was a chatterbox staying silent and taking in every small hint that Crystal was worried was not her forte. Currently, the gray-haired demigoddess was chirping about the time she had gone to an amusement park and changed the color of the cotton candy in the cotton candy machine. 

Now that she's distracted again, I can finally try to sort things out. I need to keep a clear head and worrying is not going to help me in this situation at all. I just can't do it alone though. Who can I trust enough to help me with advice for dates? Crystal took a moment to think over all of the people she had grown to consider friends or family over the very few days she had been at camp. 

Marty? No, he's too young and anxious himself. He'd probably get more worried about the date than I am. 

Butch, maybe? He's kind and listens to me at least, but all he ever talks about are his pegasai. That's no help.

Eva's even younger than Marty is... Kat and Sylvia are not to be trusted... I hardly know Miranda and Katie... Will and Nico are a good couple, but they're both busy as head counselors...

Miles?

The thought alone was almost enough to make Crystal laugh. Miles was utterly clueless when it came to love; she fell in love too easily for all the wrong reasons, and she'd never give it up even when the person of her interest was clearly not interested. She was blunt, rude, and loud: all the qualities that people dreaded their date to have. No, there was no way in Tartarus that Crystal was going to ask Miles for help. 

Crystal's amused smirk melted away almost as soon as it appeared as she realized that she was nearly out of options. 

Perhaps I could go to the Aphrodite cabin and ask for help? I mean, their whole thing is about love, so maybe one of them would be willing to hear me out. Do I know any of the Aphrodite cabin...? Crystal thought for only a second more before she brightened noticeably. Of course! Jalissa! How could I have forgotten about her? She's young, but she must know a thing or two about love being as pretty as she is. That's who I'll ask for help! 

"-but he doesn't think I'm old enough to have my own pegasus yet which is really stupid if you ask me-"

"Eva," Crystal cut Eva off mid story and dipped her head in apology as her younger sister turned an inquisitive look to her. "Sorry to interrupt you, but is there any way I could convince you to take over the rest of the stable duties for today? I... Have something I need to do."

Eva, who was still seemingly a bit surprised at being interrupted, let the words soak in for a moment before her lips curled into a Cheshire cat smile. Wiggling her eyebrows, she spoke, "Something to do with a certain date coming up?" 

Maybe Crystal had doubted her sister's perceptiveness too much after all. 

Crystal nodded sheepishly, blush flaring up along her porcelain cheeks. "Maybe..." 

The younger Iris girl chuckled. "Well then I won't stop you! Go ahead," she motioned towards Irie and the rest of the pegasai. "I'll take care of these guys for you."

Crystal let her shoulders relax and sighed in relief. "Thank you, Eva! You're the best."

"I know I am," Eva stated, blowing her a kiss comically. "Good luck, Crystal!" 

With that, Crystal nodded her thanks and ducked out of the pegasus stables. She was hoping that Butch was still training with Sherman Yang for she had not yet come up with a good excuse for why she was letting Eva cover for her. Luckily for her though, Butch was nowhere to be seen.

Speed-walking across the grassy camp terrain, Crystal swiveled her head back and forth to take in all the sights of Camp Half-Blood. There was a curly-haired satyr who was holding hands with a pretty green-skinned dryad on a stump closer to the strawberry fields. One of Marty's dreadful looking siblings barreled past in a whirlwind of color as she chased after a very lithe daughter of Hermes who had a mischievous glint in her eyes. In the Hermes girl's hand was a dagger that was very clearly not hers. Crystal rolled her eyes at this petty game of chase.

Even further into the camp, Crystal could see a group of demigods crowding around the bottom of the lava climbing wall, looking mostly irritated and somewhat concerned. Trailing her gaze upward, Crystal spotted what was causing the commotion: a dark-skinned girl with pretty goddess braids had fallen asleep halfway up the wall and was hanging suspended from her rope. Though she looked nothing like Clovis, Crystal was willing to bet drachmas that this girl was his half-sister. Hoping that everything would be sorted out and the sleepy girl would be returned safely to the ground, Crystal kept walking.

Strolling past the arena, Crystal happened to glance inside. On the dusty training grounds, Lou Ellen and Miles stood, practicing their magic. Miles' arms were raised, and her brows were furrowed deeply with concentration. Lou Ellen attempted to rest a hand on Miles' shoulder, but Miles stubbornly shook her off and made a 'please repeat' motion with her fingers. At this, Lou Ellen nodded and held up her own arms. Two twin flickers of green light erupted from her fingertips before abruptly disappearing again. Lou Ellen motioned to Miles to copy her spell, and Crystal froze, fixated on her friends' powers. 

Miles tried to mimic Lou Ellen to a T, managing to conjure up a spluttering green light for just a second before the light exploded in her palm. 

Crystal stifled a scream as the ground beneath her shook, and a great sonic wave blew her hair back. About a dozen demigods hit the deck and covered their heads around the camp as if they were used to Hecate malfunctions, catching Crystal by surprise. She'd never considered that the Hecate's magic might be unstable. 

Frantically, Crystal surveyed the arena that was now clouded with dust and smoke for her two friends, praying to the gods that they were okay. Thankfully, both of the sisters seemed unhurt with only windswept hair and ah covering their bodies. Crystal was relieved as Lou Ellen began to laugh.

Lou Ellen's laugh was not mocking in the slightest and, in fact, sounded like she had found this ordeal quite fun. Miles looked down at the ground shyly though a pleased grin was plastered across her face for having caused such a spectacle. Crystal didn't know why, but the sight of Miles enjoying herself while learning how her powers worked made her feel warmth from head to toe. She was glad that Miles seemed to be feeling at home at camp, and suddenly, the daughter of Iris found herself to be smiling. 

At this time, Miles slowly raised her head and looked in Crystal's direction. Before Crystal cold do anything, Miles' eyes locked onto her own and a conflicted mixture of confusion, surprise, and something unreadable crossed the daughter of Hecate's face. 

Crystal did not wait even a heartbeat longer. Her long legs propelled her forward, and she shot towards the direction of the unmistakable Aphrodite cabin in the distance. Her foot had just touched the porch of the cabin after hop-skipping up all of the steps at once when she nearly crashed into a very pretty girl with long, sandy blonde hair with scarlet streaks and tawny skin: Valentina Diaz. 

"Oh! Sorry, Valentina!" Crystal exclaimed apologetically. "I wasn't looking where I was going." 

Valentina did not seem angry, giggling instead. Her laugh sounded like the tinging of a bell and made Crystal blush. This confused her momentarily until she remembered that Valentina was a daughter of Aphrodite and probably had that effect on everyone who came into contact with her. "It's fine! Can I help you?" 

Crystal craned her neck, trying to see past Valentina and into the interior of the Aphrodite cabin past the door. She could see a hunched form sitting on the bottom bunk of a bed near the back. Was that Jalissa? Ugh, why was Valentina so tall? 

High heels, Crystal concluded mentally. Now where is Jalissa? 

"Um, well, I was wondering if you'd seen Jalissa anywhere. I really need to talk to her," Crystal explained, catching a glimpse at the camper in the back of the cabin. That was most certainly not Jalissa. Jalissa was not a teenage boy with dusky, brown hair and matching brown eyes. She held herself with much more confidence than the boy on the bed did as well. Weren't all Aphrodite kids confident of their looks? He wasn't even that bad looking...

"You just missed her. She went off with that Fletcher kid not too long ago, and I overheard that they were going to the forest to pick some flowers. I'm sure you could still catch her if you wanted," Valentina's perfectly plucked brows lowered in sympathy. 

Crystal felt her shoulders slump. She'd been really looking forward to asking Jalissa for help, but she supposed that it was good that the quiet girl was beginning to make friends at last. If only the same could be said for Marty... "No, no, it's fine. I'll just go home and deal with it myself. Thank you though." 

The daughter of Iris went to turn and depart back to her own cabin, but something in Valentina's gaze commanded her to stay and open up. She clearly had more to say on this issue. Cocking an eyebrow, Valentina spoke. 

"Wait... What did you want her help for?" she paused for a moment before her expression changed to worry. "If you don't mind me asking, of course," she added sheepishly as an afterthought. 

Crystal felt her cheeks heat up even more as the vibrant image of Jake's friendly face filled her thoughts. His warm, amber eyes, his messy, brown hair, and his perfect lips... "Oh, nothing! I just wanted... Compare schedules, that's all!"

Valentina put two and two together and got the answer to her question. A sneaky smile curled up her red lips, and she squealed, throwing an arm around Crystal's shoulders and pulling her into the Aphrodite cabin. 

Crystal had once owned an exclusive, deluxe Barbie dream house when she was around four or five years old, and this cabin was bringing back memories of it intensely. Though the cabin wasn't overly girly on the outside (It had been remodeled as Crystal had overheard. It had started off with a blue and white checkerboard staircase, a grey deck, and a stormy grey exterior. It hadn't been fitting in the slightest. Now, the outside walls were a light pink and emitted an aura of love and superiority,) the interior was an entirely different story. 

Pink walls with white trim along the windows with lacy curtains, a pink door, and about a dozen or more pastel beds completely took over the inside of the cabin. A strong scent of heavy perfume filled Crystal's senses, and it seemed that at least a hundred different fragrances had been test-spritzed all over. Posters of handsome men, beautiful women, and everything in between were plastered all along the walls. 

This cabin looked like the figment of a six year old princess's imagination. 

"Ooh, you need help getting ready for your date with Jake! I can see it in those pretty, blue eyes of yours! You didn't forget my offer, did you?" Valentina hardly gave Crystal adjust to the dazzling coming from the vanities around the cabin before her happy-go-lucky voice filled the air again.

If Crystal's face could get any redder, she was sure she would be a tomato. She felt her cheeks with her palms, trying to get them to cool down. "No, no, of course I didn't! I'm just... Nervous about all of this..." 

The gorgeous daughter of Aphrodite squeaked excitedly. "I totally thought so! You don't have to be nervous though; you're in capable hands. Jake is pretty easy to please anyways." 

Crystal dipped her head awkwardly. The movie of her life story was sure to be called 'Fifty Shades of Red' if Valentina continued to embarrass her. 'Easy to please?' What was that supposed to mean anyways?!

Ignoring Crystal's obvious embarrassment, Valentina theatrically widened her almond shaped eyes with awe. She was a true actress to a T, and any drama teacher would be glad to have her in their class. "You are such a lucky girl! Jake's a total sweetheart, really. Always goes out of his way to make girls feel good. I miss him sometimes, but I totally support you two. You're both totally adorable in my opinion." 

Crystal was about to politely thank Valentina and then promptly melt into the floor, but something in the daughter of Aphrodite's spiel had caught her attention. "You two dated before?" 

Valentina shrugged nonchalantly. "I mean, practically everyone in this cabin has dated more tan half of the camp before. Jake and I went strong for about a week before he got a thing for Julia Feingold from the Hermes cabin. They didn't last too long either. I wasn't all that upset about our breakup though. I had, no, scratch that, still have someone else on my mind..." 

At this, Valentina got a dreamy look on her face and blushed. She turned to look at a bunk that must have been hers. Tacked to the wall beside a polaroid montage was a Brazilian flag. Valentina didn't look Brazilian, so Crystal assumed that it had once belonged to the cabin counselor of Hebe, Paolo Montes. There was no debating that he was Brazilian as he held his country with great pride.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Crystal chose to ignore Jake's past relationships. They weren't any of her business, and he seemed to be really interested in getting to know her if nothing else. She didn't even know there was a Julia Feingold in camp. 

"Well, if it's no bother, Valentina, I was... Wondering if you could maybe... Help me out?" 

Valentina was brought back down to Earth, and she tossed her blonde and red hair over her shoulder. It seemed as if this was not the first time Valentina had gotten distracted and gone starry-eyed over Paolo instead of being productive. 

"Oh, sure! You wanted to look at dresses, right, sweetie? Oh yes, and the faux date with Mitchell! You couldn't have come at a better time; Mitchell and I are both free right now, aren't we, Mitch?" Valentina turned her head to gaze at the brunette boy in the back of the cabin. He instinctively flinched under her gaze before he seemed to truly recognize who was looking at him. After coming into terms that it was simply Valentina, he relaxed visibly and stood up from his bunk, strolling over to stand at Valentina's side. 

Mitchell was a very spindly boy with long limbs, a scrawny build with absolutely no muscle to him whatsoever, and a very angular face. His eyes weren't warm like Jalissa's coffee-colored peepers were. They were, instead, doe-like with long lashes and a certain hint of fear hidden in their murky depths. This boy had the same timid look to him that both Marty and Clovis shared as if even the slightest bit of social interaction would cause him to melt like an ice cube in the sun.

His hair was strange to put it mildly for though it had appeared dusky and dark when he had sat in the back of the cabin, it was now almost mousy and definitely much lighter. In the same way, whenever Mitchell's eyes hit the light of the rays of sun that streaked through the window, they lightened to the color of brandy. 

Crystal waved at him, just as polite as ever, and in return, he wiggled his fingers shyly. Casting intimidated looks back and forth to Crystal and Valentina, he finally spoke. His voice was mellow and quiet as if he weren't used to using it. 

"Uh, ahem, sorry... I thought I... Heard my name..." Mitchell's voice trailed to nothing towards the end of his statement, and he swallowed thickly. Crystal wondered faintly who had hurt this poor boy to the point where he thought he could not speak clearly. 

Valentina nodded excitedly. "You were right, don't worry. I did say your name, but not for anything bad; you're not in any trouble. In fact, quite the opposite. Mitchell, meet your date!"

Crystal paled, and Mitchell looked near to fainting. Swaying on his feet, he gave Valentina an incredulous look. "You can't be serious," he yelped. "I-I can't-" he swayed again, and this time, Crystal reached out an arm to help him. He reeled back from the touch though and gave Crystal a look similar to a wild animal who had been backed into a corner. 

This made Crystal's heart feel heavy. What had she done wrong to make Mitchell hate her already? She'd only been trying to help. What was so bad about that?

"I'm sorry, did I do something to offend you or otherwise make you dislike me?" Crystal asked, her voice lilting upward as she tried to suppress tears. She'd always picked on her younger brother, Rudy for being a crybaby, but she'd never stopped to think that maybe he had picked up that trait from her. 

Mitchell shook his head almost violently in response, his eyes wide. "Oh, no, no! You didn't do anything to me, I swear. It's just that..." he twiddled his thumbs together and chewed on his bottom lip. "Usually when someone in this cabin tells me I have a date with someone, it turned out to be some big prank. Especially with someone as pretty as you."

Crystal blinked slowly, registering that Mitchell had genuinely complimented her. "Th-thank you," she mumbled, stunned.

Valentina placed a hand on Mitchell's shoulder though she seemed to be thoroughly enjoying this exchange. Looking into his scared brown eyes, she spoke in a soothing voice. "Okay, so maybe I should have specified better. This isn't a date date; it's a practice date. A fake one to prepare for a real one.... For Crystal, I mean."

When Mitchell looked utterly confused, Valentina giggled. 

"Basically I want you to help me and Crystal out by going on a fake date with Crystal, so that she's less worried about going on her actual date with Jake Mason."

Mitchell looked as if he understood now. 'Ooh, I can do that. Just... Let me get things ready quick? I'm not really dating material in what I'm wearing right now." 

Mitchell was wearing a typical Camp Half-Blood T-shirt that was paired with his camp necklace and a pair of tight-fitting blue jeans. Crystal thought that he looked just fine, but before she could say that, Valentina nodded and Mitchell disappeared into a curtained side of the cabin. Crystal could see his lithe shadow against the curtains, and she turned away in embarrassment as she watched him lift his shirt over his head.

"Well, while he's doing that, why don't we pick you out an outfit? I have tons of dresses that I think would look just gorgeous on you," Valentina latched onto Crystal's arm and tugged her over to the opposite side of the cabin where endless rows of hanging clothes sat about. There was plenty of beautiful outfits that Crystal could see out in the open, but Valentina paid them no mind as if she had much better and these clothes were for commoners. 

The two girls came to a halt in front of a large chest that was decorated with thousands of tiny, red hearts and white doves. The name on the front read 'Valentina Diaz' in big, bubbly lettering, and Crystal wondered slightly if the daughter of Aphrodite could be distantly related to Marty somehow. 

Valentina lifted the latch of the trunk and opened it up, letting out an appreciative sigh at the sight of what must have been her prized collection of smuggled clothing. Crystal knew that the dress code here was simple: orange T-shirt, decent bottoms, necklace (if you had one), and some sort of shoes (though judging by the grass-stained feet of the Demeter cabin children, this one was optional.) Despite this, every type of clothing you could think of was jam-packed into the trunk.

There were booty shorts, knee high socks, baggy sweatshirts that were two sizes too big, high heels, yoga pants, tank tops, camisoles, and even a golden girdle with that name 'Aphrodite' etched into the stitching. 

Though the trunk was in complete disarray, Valentina seemed to know exactly where to find what she was looking for. With long, manicured nails, Valentina clawed her way through the pile of clothing, occasionally stopping to 'ooh' and 'ah' at an item she didn't know that she had. Eventually, three dresses, five pairs of heels, and several 'extras' were in Valentina's hold. 

"Got it all! Now it's time for a fashion show!" Valentina cried excitedly, extending out the first outfit for Crystal to try on. "Put it on and do a couple poses for me. I think this will be absolutely adorable on you!"

Crystal reddened, accepting the outfit, but shaking her head. "N-no fashion shows please. Can I just try these on and nothing more? Modeling isn't really my thing..." 

"Nonsense! Everyone has a model in them somewhere, screaming to get out and be fabulous! Even Sherman Yang and Clarisse La Rue could be on Cover Girl if they really tried. They're too busy focusing on unimportant things like training for deadly battles to protect the camp and bashing heads though. They really ought to get fashion checks sometimes because their outfits are usually downright ghastly," Valentina fanned her face dramatically. "Have you ever seen Mark from Ares wearing anything but his ripped up shirts and short? Mega barf! But don't tell him I said that..." 

Crystal giggled, but she was still unconvinced. She had considered modeling at a young age when she was more skinny and less... Curvy... She had taken up to being a beauty guru online with multiple accounts, all with decent followings. It had been such a long time since she had put on that much makeup though, and the thought of being a model had long since left her mind. She still tried to dress well, but she never tried to stand out or start trends. "I don't know..." she said doubtfully. 

But there was no more arguing to be done. Valentina's eyes were wide, and she fluttered her long lashes pleadingly. Clasping her hands together, she spoke with something tinging her voice that made Crystal compelled to listen to her. "Won't you please just give me a little fashion show? A little one is all I'm asking, and I'm letting you be the star..."

Something in Valentina's tone caused Crystal to nod in agreement. Was it the persuasiveness in her voice, or the puppy-dog eyes? Whatever it was, Crystal was doomed to present a fashion show to Valentina no matter what now.

"I suppose I could... Where should I change?" 

"Why not right here? I won't look if you don't want me too, and Mitchell seems pretty preoccupied-"

As if to agree with that statement, Lady Gaga's 'Applause' began to blast from behind the curtained side of the cabin. A loud 'oops!' followed, but nothing was done to shut the music off. 

Crystal steeled herself and nodded. She'd undressed in front of her cabin the first day of camp, but their reaction had made her feel self conscious. Valentina seemed like she wouldn't judge though, so there was no harm in trying again. 

Hesitantly, she pulled her shirt off and waited for Valentina to laugh or make fun of her. When she looked up though, Valentina was completely unbothered. She only waited expectantly for Crystal to throw the dress on. 

Not wanting to disappoint, Crystal hurriedly dropped her pants and threw the dress over her head. It flowed around her body loosely and was definitely comfortable, but she had absolutely no idea how it looked on her. The only thing Crystal knew was that it was yellow which was a color that did not usually fit her complexion well. It struck her as something an Apollo camper would wear, not an Aphrodite or Iris child. 

Valentina tapped her chin, taking in Crystal's appearance. She twirled her finger after a moment's pause, and Crystal turned slowly. 

"Hm... No. I mean, the color looks decent on you, but I think this look would be more fitting if you were going to a barbecue, or pool party, or something, not a date," Valentina picked up the second dress that was a pretty teal color and had ruffles along the bottom. "Try this one instead." 

Crystal took off the yellow dress and tried on the teal one. This time, she twirled without being asked to and even posed awkwardly. Her hair flew into her face, and she blew a puff of air to move it aside. 

"I like this one a lot, but I think we could do any better. It seems like shades of blue might be your color. Try on the next one, please," Valentina stated. Her brows were less furrowed now, and her red lips were conveying a grin. 

Crystal nodded, throwing off the teal dress hurriedly and excitedly grabbing the third dress. This one was the one that she had been eyeing since Valentina had brought the dresses out. It was a little bit darker of a blue than her skirt was, and it flowed all the way down to her ankles. It was absolutely gorgeous. 

The dress billowed around Crystal's waist and felt completely natural on Crystal form as if it had been custom-tailored to fit her. This one made her feel good about herself, and she posed a lot more confidently. She strutted around, pretending she was a newly-discovered model. 

Valentina whistled appreciatively, clapping her hands together. "That's the one alright! That color is beautiful on you, and it matches the streak in your hair and your eyes. It also works really well with your curvy form if you don't mind me saying," She circled around Crystal like a fashion forward shark and nodded more to herself than to Crystal. "Yep, this is the one." 

Crystal blushed and waved a hand at Valentine. "You're really too kind, but thank you so much for helping me find this, Valentina! You're some kind of an angel." 

"More like some kind of an Aphrodite kid," Valentina said, casting Crystal a wink. She turned and looked to the pile of shoes to her side. "Now let's find you some shoes!" 

At the same time, slow jazz music replaced Lady Gaga's Bad Romance (which was arguably not a good song to be played on a date, fake or not) and Mitchell called out from behind the curtains. 

"I'm ready now! You can come around the curtain." 

Valentina's eyes widened with excited anticipation. "There's no time to try on shoes! Just grab the ones you like best and get going!" 

Crystal hesitated before taking a pair of black, heeled sandals and shoving them on quickly. She didn't want to make Mitchell wait when he was going out of his way to help her. Besides, she figured that they looked rather good while paired with her dress.

The daughter of Iris hurriedly shuffled over to where the curtain started and pushed it aside, stepping over to what must have been the boys' side of the cabin. The beds were slightly more messy on this side, and the smell of perfume was almost nauseating. Mitchell had definitely not slacked on the 'fake date' department though. 

A table was set up in the middle of the curtained area, and a white tablecloth was rested across it. Rose petals speckled the cloth like glitter. A few scented candles sat in the middle of the table and flickered in the dim lighting. Mitchell had turned down the intensity of the lights of the vanities, causing the lighting to be much darker over here. There were two plastic plates on the table, and a few wrapped candy bars sat on top of them.

Crystal must have given Mitchell a strange look at his choice in a meal as Mitchell scratched the back of his head sheepishly. 

"Sorry, it was all I had to work with..."

"Oh, no, no, it's fine! In fact, I actually really like Hershey's," Crystal reassured the nervous boy, taking a dainty seat across from Mitchell. Once she was adjusted and her legs were properly crossed, she looked up to her faux date and took in his appearance.

Mitchell had not skimped on dressing up. He was dressed in a black tux with a dark blue tie that matched perfectly with Crystal's dress. His hair had been combed and slicked back from his eyes that were now framed with thick, black glasses. They were very similar to Jalissa's. Crystal was sure that Mitchell hadn't been wearing them before.

"You're wearing glasses," Crystal noted, noticing that the accessory made his eyes seem dark and intelligent. 

Mitchell blushed deeply. "Oh, haha, yeah. I'm supposed to wear them all the time, but they're kind of dorky."

Crystal shook her head from side to side, her ebony hair trailing across her exposed shoulders. "I think they look cute on you," she put in politely. 

At this, Mitchell smiled shyly. "Thanks... I wanted to put them on, so that I could see how pretty you are." 

Crystal giggled, completely flustered. Maybe having this fake date would be a good thing; it might help her relax and have some fun before she completely embarrassed herself in front of Jake. She gave Mitchell an appreciative glance. "Thanks again for this. I really can't thank you and your sister enough for helping me the way you are."

"It's no problem at all," Mitchell grinned, flashing his set of pearly whites that seemed to be completely natural. 

This was the first time that Crystal had ever seen him with his natural smile She was glad that she could bring that out in him. This boy deserved to be a lot happier than he was.

Mitchell's stomach growled loudly, and he laughed in embarrassment. Grabbing his candy bar from his plate, he fingered the wrapper and gave Crystal an amused look. "I've heard that chocolate is a delicacy in some places. Just pretend we're in one of those places and dig in."

"How fancy," Crystal snickered, holding up her Snickers bar. She ripped the wrapper and took a dainty bite, chewing thoughtfully as she looked across the table. 

You know, Mitchell doesn't look half bad in this lighting... she thought on a whim before smothering it with a thought that made her just plain giddy. I bet Jake will look amazing near the water. Maybe he'll even take his shirt off...

All there was left to do was wait...

\-----------------------------------------------------------

"And right about now is when you'd go in for the kiss-"

The faux date had gone swimmingly with Mitchell being really nice guy, Crystal giggling like an idiot, and Valentina whispering tips and hints through the curtains to help Crystal out. Crystal found that she got along much better with Mitchell and Valentina than any of her siblings (excluding Eva). 

Every time Mitchell would blunder and say something awkward, every time Crystal would get melted chocolate on her fingers and lick them off ungracefully, and every time Valentina would lean too close to the curtains and nearly fall through, the whole lot of them would laugh. They weren't laughing at each other though; they were laughing with each other. 

The best part about all of this though was the fact that Crystal had genuinely gotten over her fear of going on a date with Jake. What she had learned from this fake date was just to be herself and things would go fine. Jake was a nice guy, and she was sure that he would enjoy her company no matter how dorky she was. 

This night was going to be great. 

Crystal was brought back to Earth as a very bashful Mitchell turned his head and smiled into his shoulder. "You don't have to kiss me, Crystal..."

"I'll improvise," the daughter of Iris declared, leaning in and pressing cordial kiss on Mitchell's cheek. "Thanks for the 'date,' Mitch. I really appreciate it," She turned to face Valentina whose hands were clasped together in front of her like a proud mother's. "And you too. You guys are the best, really." 

Valentina threw her arms around Crystal and dragged a somewhat reluctant Mitchell into the group hug as well. "It was no problem at all! If you want, I can do your makeup next. Ooh, and Mitchell can do your hair!" 

Mitchell nodded eagerly

Crystal was about to agree whole-heartedly when she happened to glance out one of the pretty, pink windows. Outside, the sun was going down slowly, and Crystal realized that she had skipped almost all of her camp activities today. She had one left before she was free, and it happened to be Greek history lessons. 

"Oh, I'm so sorry, guys, I would totally let you, but I have Greek history lessons right now, and I don't think that Malcolm Pace guy would be too happy if I skipped."

Valentina nodded. "Oh, it's no problem. We understand," she flashed Crystal a bright smile. "Besides, I think you look pretty as it is." 

Mitchell also nodded. "Yeah, and I don't think that Malcolm will be too hard on you since you're new. Just throw on what you had before and take the new clothes with you. Hopefully everything will go well for you!" 

"Thank you both so much," Crystal sighed in appreciative bliss. She hurried grabbed her old outfit and changed (while Mitchell looked away respectfully.) With one more thankful nod, she raced out of the Aphrodite cabin and towards the Athena cabin. 

Today had been fun, and she had learned how to be a lot more confident with herself and have fun. Mitchell and Valentina had helped her out a lot, and she could only hope that their charm would work at the meetup as well. 

As she trotted across the camp, Crystal dipped her head.

Thank you, Aphrodite, she thought to herself. Your blessing is all I could have asked for. 

And with that, Crystal ran to begin her lessons. 

\-----------------------------------

Crystal's long legs propelled her as fast as her heel-clad feet would allow. The green grass beneath her feet crunched as she raced towards the lake. The moon had only just come out, and Crystal could only hope that Jake was still there.

The appearing stars twinkled above her head like flickering fireflies. A few clouds were drifting across the sky to cover the moon, and if Crystal hadn't been in such a good mood, she might have considered that it could have signified a bad omen. However, she had her date on her mind, and nothing was going ruin that for her. 

She had practiced all day for this event; it had to be perfect. 

As her heels hit the sandy beach of the lake where Jake was meant to be, Crystal swiveled her head from side to side, scanning for Jake's handsome form. He was probably sprawled out somewhere with the tips of his toes in the water. Or perhaps he was looking at those shiny seashells he'd been talking about at the race and collecting them to show Crystal. Or maybe... Maybe he was daydreaming about her...

Crystal felt a shiver of anticipation drive down her back. Valentina said that the daughter of Iris and son of Hephaestus would be a good couple, so hopefully Jake thought so too. Maybe she would be the one relationship of his to last for a long time. She would be the one who would love him like none of his past flings could. 

"Jake! Jake!" Crystal called, but her voice was meant with silence. For a moment, she thought about the possibility of Jake actually getting sick instead of just faking it. Maybe he was resting up in his cabin. It was pretty late...

Or maybe he'd been here earlier and had grown tired of waiting? Maybe he thought Crystal had stood him up. Maybe he'd decided that he had better things to do than wait.

Crystal slowed to a walking pace, anxiety flaring up in her chest. She'd been so worried about making a fool out of herself while on the date that she hadn't even considered showing up to the date would be a problem. 

Too be fair, Jake had never specified a time, but there was always that possibility...

Up ahead, past a small sand dune that might have been a sand castle at one point, Crystal could see the shadowy form of someone lying on the beach. They were somewhat curled up, and thought Crystal couldn't see who it was, she was sure it was Jake.

She drew closer, remembering what one of Valentina's tips had been: 'Act coy or playful. Boys love it when they don't know what to expect from you.' Realizing that Jake still hadn't seen, nor heard her, Crystal padded forward. She was going to surprise him. He'd never see her coming. 

As Crystal approached, she began to make out more and more of the form. It appeared that Jake was moving slowly, shifting back and forth. In the darkness, he looked strange... Bulkier even. He was a muscular boy, but it almost looked as if he were... Two people...

Suddenly, the clouds drifted away from the moon, allowing its milky light to wash over the beach. 

Crystal was horrified.

Jake was there... And so was Kat. They were together. 

Jake was sitting with his back to Crystal, and the lips that Crystal had imagined kissing her so many times before were now pressed against her half-sister's. Kat was seated on top of Jake's lap, her hands resting on his thighs. Their mouths moved together, fighting for dominance. The kiss was almost aggressively passionate, and Kat was pressed against Jake's chest. One of his work-worn hands moved down Kat's side before snaking up her shirt. 

A tiny gasp escaped from Crystal's lips.

At this moment, Kat's hazel eyes snapped open. As soon as they landed on Crystal's shocked expression, she smirked into the kiss. This had been no coincidence; this had been planned. 

Hot tears began to trickle down Crystal's porcelain cheeks, and without a word to either of the two demigods who were grinding against each other on the sand, she dashed away towards the Iris cabin. It was the only place she could run to, and though she wanted to be nowhere near Kat, nor her twin, it was her only option. It was late, and the rest of the camp was sure to be at the campfire by now. Surely none of Crystal's friends would want to listen to her whine about a boy who had never loved her to begin with at this time of night. 

As quick as she was, Crystal reached the Iris cabin immediately. She threw open the gradiented door, and all Tartarus broke loose. 

The cabin was in complete chaos. Clothes were flung everywhere, and the racks that had once held them were in complete disarray. Blankets and sheets had been tossed off of the beds, and the cottony pillows had been emptied. The posters that had rested above the twins' bunks had been ripped down and torn up. Pages from magazines fluttered about as huge gusts of wind blew them about. 

The source of the wind was none other but old Irie, Butch's pride pegasus. She had been led into the cabin, and the unfamiliar terrain had stressed her out. She flapped her enormous wings wildly and neighed in distress. 

Everything was an utter mess aside from Crystal's bunk that remained untouched and just as clean as it had been when she had woke up that morning. It looked as if someone had went on a rampage and destroyed everything except for that one, single bunk.

Butch was trying to calm his pegasus down, holding up his hands gently and cooing to her gently, but Irie was too upset. She reared up, nearly hitting her head on the ceiling and slammed her hooves on the marble floor. A great crack in the stone spread from Irie to where Crystal was standing, and Butch looked to her for the first time. 

Straining against Irie as he tried to harness her, Butch's worried gaze morphed into the coals of flaming anger. Though he was a normally calm and cool counselor (and he was definitely stifling his true anger), Crystal knew that he was still very upset. 

"First, I find out that you threw your chores on Eva. Next, I'm told that you didn't show up to any of your activities today, and then I come home to this? I don't know what your deal is, but this is not acceptable. As cabin counselor, you're giving me no choice, but to punish you. You won't be participating in the next Capture the Flag game, and you won't be participating in any races until you've proven that you can control yourself better. Am I understood?" 

Crystal was about to protest that none of this had been her. She hadn't been home all day, and there was no way that she would have been strong enough to cause this much destruction in such a short time, but the more she thought over the scene, the more she realized that all the evidence pointed to her. 

This had no doubt been the work of Kat before she had set out to swap spit with Jake Mason tonight, but Crystal had no way of proving it. Kat had set this scene up exactly how she knew it would play out. She'd planned this, and though Crystal had no idea what she had ever done to make Kat hate her, she did, and she was set on ruining her life. 

She had succeeded. 

Crystal's narrowed eyes flickered over to the other side of the room just as she was about to open her mouth, and they landed on Eva. Crystal had never seen Eva look so scared before. She was trembling and clutching a destroyed magazine to her chest. Her eyes were big and fearful and full of distrust. 

Crystal's heart sunk to the floor. She'd lost her only ally. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Crystal dipped her head to hide her tears from her half-siblings. "Okay..." she finally uttered breathily.

With that, she wandered over to her pristine bed and collapsed onto the pillow. Her tears couldn't be stopped now, flooding down her face and melting into the cloth beneath her face in a flood. The floodgates were open, and they wouldn't be stopping any time soon. 

As blackness began to overtake her vision, and she drifted off to sleep. It wasn't peaceful though; her dreams were haunted with visions of Kat's evil smirk and Jake's wandering hands.

**Author's Note:**

> Here's another one of my Clovis centric fanfictions. This one include my own ocs as central characters so there's that. Anyways, this takes place in an entirely different timeline than Son of Hypnos, if you're wondering. 
> 
> Miles, Crystal, Marty, and Jalissa belong to me.


End file.
